My Boyfriend's Half Brother
by annaRAWR
Summary: With college getting closer and closer, Kurt and Blaine decide to spend as much time as they can together the summer before NYADA breaks them apart. However, when Kurt's half brother, Sebastian Smythe, shows up to stay with them for the holidays, they find their summer taking a very different direction.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello! Before you start to read, I would just like to confirm that yes, this is a Seblaine story. Klaine are together in it at first, but they are not the main focus. :) Have fun!

* * *

"Blaine."

Blaine loved nights like this. Although it was summer, Kurt had some mysterious technique to keep his room at a perfect temperature, and the lack of heat meant Blaine was free to cuddle up to his boyfriend. He was a light sleeper, but when he had Kurt's head laying softly on his chest and strong, pale arms wrapped around his torso, waking up wasn't something he really minded. In fact, he almost liked it, and as he adjusted his own arms around his boyfriend, he sighed happily.

Only to have the other boy squirm away from him.

"_Blaine._"

"What?" Blaine replied, his voice drowsy in his half-asleep state. He opened his eyes to see Kurt's wide and alert, looking up at him with a weird sense of urgency. It worried him; Kurt didn't let _anything _disturb his sleep.

"I think there's someone downstairs," Kurt whispered, worry seeping over his features.

"It's probably just your dad," Blaine murmured. "Don't worry yourself."

"I can hear my dad snoring from his bedroom. It's not my dad."

Blaine looked at Kurt carefully, realizing this wasn't a good time to call him out on being adorable at all but almost couldn't help himself. He'd never known Kurt to be so paranoid, and started to think that maybe the scariness of going all the way to New York was finally hitting him and making him anxious when he suddenly heard a clutter downstairs. The playfulness in his expression dispersed, silently communicating the same uneasy expression as Kurt.

"We should call the police," the taller boy whispered, tightening his arms slightly around Blaine. Blaine tried his hardest to comfort him, stroking a hand through his hair under the pretense that Kurt would probably choose comfort over the state of his hair right now. Probably.

"Don't you think that's a little drastic?" Blaine asked, not liking the expression Kurt was giving him that demanded to be right. "We don't know that it's a burglar."

"Or a murderer?"

"Or a murderer." Blaine hesitated. "Maybe we should check it out first? As good a story it would be to get the police in on a stray cat, or Finn mysteriously appearing in your kitchen, it might anger the authorities a bit."

Kurt shuffled uncomfortably, clearly not happy with the idea. If Blaine wasn't so conscious of wasting people's time, he'd happily bother the police and whisper little comforts to his boyfriend until they came, but that just wasn't him.

"We can wake your dad if it'll make you feel better?"

"No," Kurt said immediately. "I don't want him… His heart…"

"Okay," Blaine whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "Then I'll go. You stay here."

Kurt shook his head. "We'll go together. I'll take my phone and have 911 ready dialled. And you can take one of my dad's golf clubs for defence. Just in case."

Blaine nodded, knowing deep down there was no way he'd be able to use a _golf club _as a defence but would take it anyway, just to make Kurt feel better. Silently, the two of them clambered out of bed, Kurt immediately taking his phone in hand before slowly cracking the door open. After checking and double checking, finding no apparent murderers hanging out on the top floor, Kurt and Blaine ventured out into the house. Kurt tilted his head towards the golf clubs at the top of the stairs, and Blaine nodded, going ahead in order to arm himself with a 7-iron and take the lead of their stake out. As they crept down the stairs, eyes squinting in the darkness, Blaine felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as subtle chopping noises emitted from the kitchen. He turned to look at Kurt, who was staring back at him fearfully but urging him forward. Now, it was Blaine's turn to want to call the police.

As they reached the first floor of the house, tip-toeing down the hall and peeking into the kitchen, the both of them froze. Standing with his back to them was a tall man, maybe just a bit taller than Kurt, focused on cutting whatever it was in front of him. The couple grimaced at the unapologetic noise of the steel knife hitting the chopping board.

"He has a knife," Kurt breathed as if Blaine hadn't already absorbed that part.

"I can see that," the shorter man replied, anchored to the spot in apprehension. "What do you think he's cutting?"

Kurt looked at him for a second. "Find out."

"What?"

"We need to make sure it's not… An arm or something."

"Why would it be an-"

"Just find out," Kurt snapped, taking Blaine by the shoulders and moving him forward. "You have the golf club."

"He has a _knife._"

Kurt continued to steer Blaine forward, and the curly haired boy had no chance but to hold the golf club out in front of him as they advanced. It didn't become any more obvious what this mysterious guy was cutting up, but he did become alarmingly still, the knife held out in plain sight. A lump lodged itself in Blaine's throat as his eyes locked on it, Kurt's lips right in his ear whispering "_Oh my God_". Blaine realised he had no choice but to attempt to knock the intruder out, and with the cold 7-iron clutched tight in his shaking hands, he began to get closer, raising it above his head. But just before he could swing, the man turned his head slightly, causing Kurt to gasp and grab Blaine's shoulder.

"Blaine, stop!"

The trespasser whirled round, knife still in hand as he stared at them both with mild shock, nothing like the explosive terror on Kurt and Blaine's faces. His green eyes, dull in the lack of light, took them in with slow growing amusement, and a smirk grew on his face, tracing the line of the golf club Blaine had been seconds away from hitting him with.

"Now, really, Kurt," the boy murmured, his voice somehow smooth and rough at the same time. "Is that any way to greet your brother?"

Blaine stilled, turning to look at Kurt and finally lowering his so-called weapon. His boyfriend looked back at him with the guiltiest expression Blaine had ever seen him produce.

"He's not my brother," Kurt muttered, his eyes shifting to the new addition. "He's my _half _brother."

"Whatever, we're still unfortunate enough to share a bloodline," he shrugged, still smirking. Kurt sighed.

"What are you _doing _here, Sebastian?"

"Aww, did daddy not tell you? Don't be too sad, Kurt. I'm sure he still likes you best."

"_Sebastian._"

"You haven't changed," he smirked. "But fine. I'm coming to play happy families with you for a while."

"You're _staying?_" Kurt said through his teeth, and Blaine was sure he could literally see fire in his eyes.

"Only until I go back to Dalton. Sorry, Kurty. You only have me for the summer."

"Dalton?" Blaine perked up, any nervousness lost to the excitement at the topic of his old school. "That's where I used to go!"

"I don't believe with been introduced," Sebastian said, his eyes raking over Blaine. It would've made him feel uncomfortable if he wasn't so intrigued.

"My name's Blaine," he smiled, holding out his hand for the other boy to shake. Sebastian took it after a moment of hesitation, smiling as if everything was amusing him and striking a thousand questions in Blaine's mind.

"He's my boyfriend," Kurt added, earning a dismissive chuckle from his half-brother.

"Wait – don't tell me you're _Blaine. _Blaine Anderson?"

"Uh, yeah. That's me," Blaine said, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly.

"You're kidding. You're like Dalton _legacy. _I'm pretty sure there were talks of building a shrine of you in the choir room, you know." The glint in Sebastian's eye as he spoke had Blaine not wanting to turn away, unsure when the last time was that he'd ever been so interested in a person who was in turn, interested by him.

"You're in The Warblers?!" Blaine asked, his face completely lighting up. "I love those guys!"

"I think it's safe to say the feeling's mutual," Sebastian mused. Blaine just smiled at him for a second, realising he could talk about this with Sebastian all night but forced himself to turn to Kurt, the questions in his head too much to contain.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a half-brother?" he asked, not sounding mad at all. Sebastian folded his arms and raised his eyebrows, not failing to keep the smirk on his face. Kurt had to remind himself to breathe, his glare very close to becoming lethal.

"Sebastian has a habit of stealing my things," he finally said. Blaine sensed a warning behind the words, but the other brother seemed unfazed.

"Well maybe you should take better care of them," Sebastian said, winking at Blaine as he bit into the sandwich he was previously making on the chopping board. Kurt looked like he was ready to commit murder. "It was nice meeting you, Blaine," Sebastian added, holding his gaze for a moment with the same amused expression on his face before leaving the room. Blaine turned to Kurt and tried a smile, too astonished by the situation to know what to do.

"Well, he seemed nice," Blaine offered, looking at Kurt hopefully. The other boy just shook his head, brushing past his boyfriend and leading the way back to the room. Blaine knew, as he followed Kurt with the golf club still in his hand, that sleep wasn't going to come back to him easily that night. Not with the sudden mystery of Sebastian under the same roof.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry this took so long. Things have been crazy with moving to University and I've been trying my best to fit this in but I'm pretty much settled, now, so updates will be more frequent. I'm sticking with this story because I have so many ideas for it :) I hope you enjoy! **

**Chapter 2**

"Sebastian, for the love of my sanity, put a shirt on."

The boy in question just smirked, sparing little attention for Kurt's wishes as he turned back to the bacon in the frying pan. It was the morning after Sebastian's revelation of his stay, and Kurt had been on edge every waking moment since. Blaine, who had followed Kurt into the kitchen in a much better mood, was taken aback by the site of the half-naked brother, but not at all unpleasantly. It was fair to say that Sebastian definitely had the right to be so cocky, Blaine thought, guiltily tearing his eyes away from the defined muscles of Sebastian's back.

"Your boyfriend doesn't seem to mind," Sebastian replied, not even turning his head to face them. Blaine immediately blushed, just to realise moments after that he was only teasing. "Besides, if I took clothes advice from you, I'm sure we'd share the same, shockingly pale skin tone. I can't say I'm one for wearing four jumpers in the middle of July."

"I don't wear _four jumpers,_" Kurt spat.

"Whatever you say, Casper," Sebastian smirked, tipping the contents of the frying pan onto a large plate. "Bacon?"

"No," Kurt said, scrunching his nose. "It's too heavy for the morning."

"It can't be much heavier than that product in your hair."

Kurt scowled, mustering a comeback when his dad entered the room, going straight for the coffee maker. He had a noticeable air of ease, as if he was almost trying to radiate the feeling of absolutely nothing being different or weird. His son's eyes landed on him with an intense feel of anger, immediately approaching him while Sebastian already looked incredibly amused by the situation, his eyes landing on Blaine and raising his eyebrows just to earn a polite, bashful smile in return.

"Why didn't you tell me that _Sebastian _is staying with us?" Kurt demanded. Sebastian just shrugged off the venom used on his name, putting some bread in the toaster and watching the scene in front of him unfold.

"Good morning to you, too, Kurt," Burt mused.

"Dad."

"Because I knew you'd react," his father said simply. "If I'd told you, you would've… I dunno… stayed in a hotel for the summer, or made it so it was completely impossible for Sebastian to live here."

"Did you think about how Sebastian is impossible to live _with?_"

"It'll be good for you two to spend some time together," Burt told him firmly. Sebastian smiled at him cheekily, raising his coffee mug at him as if this was all simply good entertainment, and Kurt huffed, storming out of the room. Blaine just blinked, unsure whether following him was really a safe option.

"Morning, Blaine," Burt said casually, and the curly haired boy couldn't help but chuckle.

"Good morning, Mr Hummel," Blaine replied. Burt just looked at him with an in-joke expression, and Blaine knew it was down to the 'call me Burt' issue. No matter how many times he was told, he just couldn't get used to it. "Do you think Kurt will come around to this whole idea eventually?"

"Of course he will," Sebastian interjected. "He'll realise eventually that being related to me is an honour."

"Kurt will learn to get by," Burt sighed, taking the now full coffee mug over to the breakfast table. "But I think at this stage, that's the best he can do."

Blaine frowned. It suddenly hit him just how complicated this whole half-brother situation really was; Was Sebastian Burt's son, or did he share a mother with Kurt? Judging by Sebastian's age, it would have probably meant one of the parents would have to have cheated, and when he thought about it, he just couldn't place Burt as a cheater. Although he put on a tough front, there was just too much love in the man's heart. He knew that Kurt's mom had stayed with him all the way up to her death, though, and that there was no divorce, so that didn't seem to make much sense, either. But one way had to be right…

There was also how the situation seemed to affect Kurt. Although Sebastian seemed remarkably comfortable in the position he was in, Kurt looked ready to do anything to escape the situation, and Blaine badly wanted to know why. Past the brotherly banter, he couldn't yet see any real chasm in their relationship. But the fact it was so invisible and still obviously there made him wary; only the darkest secrets were kept so desperately hidden.

* * *

The tree house in the Hummel's back garden was barely used, anymore. It used to be a popular hangout spot for Kurt, and should he ever opt for a game of hide and seek he would often be found in the furthest corner of the wooden space, curled in a tight ball and giggling. It was never a place of negativity, and there were still crayon pictures stuck up neatly on the hard walls, a smell that resembled a heavily wooded forest, and a calm, easy feel about the place. Just as Sebastian remembered it.

He sat against the wall right next to the small window, taking another drag from his cigarette and blowing the smoke outside. His legs were stretched out into the space that now seemed so much smaller, his head leaning back against the wall and his eyes shut softly. There was no need to put up a front, here. This was his haven. But as he took another drag, tilting his head towards the window, he couldn't help but feel the hole in his heart that screamed for his real home.

When he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps climbing up the tree house, disturbing his tranquillity, he couldn't help the small leap his heart made. It was stupid, really. When they were younger, if Sebastian was in the tree house and Kurt joined him, it was as though their rivalry was timed out. Kurt would climb up and sit opposite his half-brother, giving him a small smile that suggested peace, and the two of them would just talk. It was always a wonder to people how the two of them could know so much about each other as youngsters when it seemed all they did was fight or hate each other, but they never told anyone. It was their little secret. And something Sebastian wasn't even aware he still cared about.

"Hey, kiddo," Burt's voice said, appearing at the doorway and smiling. Sebastian's heart sank a little, but he smiled anyway, embarrassed that he could even hang on to that sentiment.

"Don't call me that," he replied, but the smirk on his face showed he didn't really mind. Burt smiled back, never really knowing how to deal with Sebastian but the boy was glad he tried.

"You know that's bad for you," Burt said, gesturing to the cigarette.

"It's necessary."

Burt seemed like he was going to say more, but only smiled sadly, and Sebastian held his eye as he took another drag. He had no reason to piss him off, but something in him panicked – he didn't want Burt thinking he could tell him want to do.

"You know this is only temporary. Your dad cares about you."

"If he cares about me, why'd he kick me out?" Sebastian snapped. The display of emotion was almost a shock for Burt, but the man stayed calm.

"He's just trying to do what's best for you. He's protecting you."

Sebastian looked at him with cold eyes, swallowing down the lump in his throat. He knew what was best for him, and this wasn't it. He didn't _need _to be protected – his life wasn't this, and he wasn't happy about everything he knew being slipped from underneath him and demanding that he adapt.

"Are we done?" he asked thickly, turning his head away as if to suggest it was more of a statement than a question.

"We're going out for dinner, tonight," Burt told him. "All of us." With that, he left the tree house and the lonely boy inside to his thoughts. Sebastian sighed, banging his head against the wall and stumping out the cigarette. _Don't cry, _he told himself, drawing a shaky breath as he tried to gain strength. _This'll get better. The wound's just fresh. This will get better. _

But the more he had to tell himself that, the more he could only ask: _when? _

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Hey," Blaine said nervously. He was back at home, having decided his boyfriend needed space, but now Kurt had called him he wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing. Was he mad?

"So… I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I guess I probably made you feel awkward, and I'm ruining our summer… It's just such a shock. There's bad blood between me and him, and I can't believe my dad sprung this on me."

"It certainly is big," Blaine agreed, scrolling down the ads on his laptop screen. "But I don't know. I think it's kinda cool that you have a brother."

"_Half-_brother."

"Half-brother," Blaine grinned. "If you don't mind me asking, what side is he actually from? I find it hard to picture him on either side."

"My mom," Kurt sighed. Blaine couldn't help be silent for a moment – Kurt had always spoken about his mother like she was an angel on Earth.

"Your mom?" he repeated.

"Would you have been less shocked if it was my dad?"

"N-no, don't get me wrong. It's just… I mean… She must've cheated, right? Sebastian's only a year younger than you."

"Yes, Blaine, she cheated. But that doesn't mean she was any less of a mother. She was always there."

"I know, it's just-"

"Can we talk about something else?" Kurt interrupted. "I know you probably have burning questions, but I'm still pretty angry about him being here."

"Of course," Blaine replied quietly, shrinking in on himself. Kurt gave a grateful sigh and immediately leapt into conversation over the latest Vogue magazine, Blaine occasionally chirping in where he could, even though he was only half listening. He'd stopped scrolling, having come across an advert that had taken the interest of his heart; a small summer programme for musicians, ending with a concert performed in the park. It was only a week long, but it covered everything, from song writing to performance technique, vocal warm ups and the technical sides of things. It was intensive, but it looked _perfect. _

Except that it required him to move away for a week.

"Blaine?"

"…What? Sorry, I… I guess I zoned out a little."

"I said we're gonna go out for dinner later, do you want to come?"

"Everyone?"

"Me, Dad, Sebastian and Carole. Finn is God knows where."

"Count me in," Blaine smiled, still staring at the ad. "I'll see you later?"

"That you will, Blaine Warbler. Love you."

"Love you, too," Blaine said, hanging up before going straight back into deep thought. Kurt had already freaked out over agreeing to go away with his dad to help him with some congressman ordeal, and Blaine had reassured him that he wouldn't need to worry – they'd have plenty of time to make up for it. This ad offered him an amazing chance, but also time out of his summer with Kurt, and his boyfriend was not going to be happy about it. He bit his lip, clicking it to get more details. _I can just apply, _Blaine thought to himself. _I might not even get in. I shouldn't worry him over nothing. Nothing has to come of it, right? _

Doing his best not to think about it, he started on the form right away, but as he progressed he found his mind wondering back to the half-brother situation. If Sebastian and Kurt shared a mom, they'd both lost a mom, too. He wondered if her death had brought the two of them closer, even if just for a little while, or pushed the gap further apart. And if she spent so much time being a good mom to Kurt, what was she like to Sebastian? How could they even let him into their lives after being living evidence that Kurt's mom had cheated? There were so many questions that he couldn't really ask stirring around Blaine's brain, and he only hoped that somehow, he could get a glimpse into their lives that night when he joined them for dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

Breadsticks was surprisingly empty for a Friday night, meaning the baskets of their token food were kept full and the wait staff actually seemed rather reasonable. There was no wait for the party of five, which was just as well considering Kurt's ever growing frustration with his half-brother. Sebastian had been taking digs at his and Blaine's relationship since the bowtie clad boy turned up at their house, apparently very amused by the amount of time the two of them spent together.

"It's no use, Kurt," he jibbed as they walked into the restaurant, led to their seats by a short, chirpy waiter who kept looking over at Sebastian and smiling. "Having a cute little boy toy on your arm isn't gonna make you look any better, you know."

Kurt turned and glared, a biting comment ready on the tip of his tongue when Blaine squeezed his hand, casting him a look. Kurt sighed, plonking himself down less than gracefully into the booth they were led to and sliding along to make way for the rest of the family.

"If you must know, _dear brother_, Blaine and I have decided to spend all the time together that we can before college."

"You're going to _college?" _Sebastian scoffed, raising his eyebrows in astonishment. The glare on Kurt's face only intensified.

"Yes, Sebastian, college. Some of us happen to have bigger ambitions in life that don't involve screwing every guy we lay eyes on."

"Come on now, Kurt, give me some credit. Only the hot ones."

"The point is, I'll be going to New York. Which is obviously quite a distance, and Blaine and I will obviously miss each other."

Sebastian nodded, smirking as if the whole thing was almost hilarious to him. He seemed to consider Kurt for a moment, although he hid his thoughts well as his entertained features stayed exactly the same. Blaine, however, was much less subtle with his true feelings, confusion amplified all over his face.

"You didn't know Kurt was going to college?" Blaine clarified, looking at Sebastian with questioning eyes.

"Me and Sebastian don't exactly _talk,_" Kurt murmured, answering for his half-brother who continued to just smirk at the situation.

"What are you studying that's taking you all the way to New York?" he eventually asked. "You know you can't get a degree to be a princess, right?"

"Musical theatre," Kurt snapped.

"I was close." Kurt just glared, but Sebastian turned his attention to Blaine before he could say anything. "So, Blaine, what are you studying? Please tell me its fashion so Kurt's wardrobe can finally get a reality check."

Blaine shuffled awkwardly. "Uh… I'm not… I've still got another year of school."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, the smirk growing wider as he leaned across the table. Blaine slunk back slightly, already feeling the judgement rolling off of Sebastian, and Kurt seemed to square up slightly. As Burt and Carole ordered them drinks, it became evident the adults had decided to take a back seat to the teenagers inevitable disasters.

"So let me get this straight," Sebastian said, linking his fingers together and addressing Blaine with a gaze that wouldn't let him slink away. "You moved schools, leaving _Dalton _for some crumby public school, to be with your boyfriend… for a _year?_"

"He didn't do it just for me," Kurt snapped, while his boyfriend stuttered over the words to his own defence. "He wanted to do this for himself to face up to what happened in the past."

"It's a shame," Sebastian said, his eyes not moving from Blaine. "Dalton really misses him."

"I miss Dalton, too," Blaine said quietly.

"Why don't you come back?"

"What?"

Although his expression barely changed, there was a glint of something in Blaine's eye. Kurt looked at him with a quizzical expression, but while Blaine absorbed Sebastian's suggestion, it went ignored.

"I'm serious," Sebastian continued. "Think about it. I mean, it's where you belong, right? The guys would be happy to have you back. And if you're feeling weird about it, you know me now, too, so-"

"He doesn't want to," Kurt cut in, his eyes like fiery ice. "He has friends at McKinely now, and he's happy."

"…Isn't that Blaine's decision?" Sebastian asked with the tiniest frown, having not missed the mild irritation that crossed the former Warbler's face when Kurt had spoken for him. Kurt whipped round to look at Blaine, taking his boyfriend's hand and looking at him hesitantly.

"Did you wanna transfer, honey?" he asked.

"I… It's… It's not like I haven't _thought _about it…" Blaine began, almost regretting it when Kurt drew back with a frown. "I just feel more welcome at Dalton, and most of my friends are there… I mean, ultimately, shouldn't I get to choose?"

Kurt looked almost offended at first, and Blaine was close to questioning his reservations when the annoyance on his boyfriend's face softened into a more understanding look, sighing softly and squeezing Blaine's hand.

"You're right," he mumbled. "It's your decision." After a small smile, he added, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Blaine smiled, shuffling a little closer to Kurt and leaning his head on his shoulder. When he shifted his attention back to Sebastian, he was struck by the complexity of his expression; to anyone else, he simply looked like a bored teenager, but to Blaine they gave away something so personal that he felt as though he was prying on a secret. The distant gaze in his sea green eyes, the small smile that Blaine somehow knew was purely for show, and the hand propping up his cheek as he looked at nothing. It was so unguarded; it was like he was watching a complicated piece of art crumbling in front of his eyes. It was loneliness. Whether it was the recent exchange of affection between the couple in front of him, or the situation that meant being away from his family, loneliness screamed out to him over the subtle features, and when Sebastian's gaze lifted to pierce through him, he felt like a deer caught in headlights, quickly averting his eyes as if looking at something else would mean what he saw could be an illusion. But he'd seen it. The part of Sebastian he wasn't even sure existed.

It only made him want to know more about him.

* * *

Blaine's eyes snapped open.

Nothing appeared to be out of place. The room was dark and unmoving except for the still asleep, breathing boy next to him. He didn't appear to have anything abnormal happening to him, no sudden illness or curious insect invading his sleep, but something had most definitely shocked him awake. He was sure it was shock, because his body was still tense, and all he could bring himself to move were his eyes as he anxiously scanned the room another time.

Then he heard it.

A guttural, terrified scream. His eyes widened, hands clasping tighter at the duvet as he continued to hear the muffled noises of terror, the words that made no sense before words completely vanished and became broken cries. The broken cries of Sebastian Smythe, apparently experiencing some kind of horror in the next room.

The longer Blaine listened, the more he felt his heart clenching painfully in his chest. It was lasting far too long, and he was beginning to pick up words that came up again and again. _"No!" _was common, shouted again and again with variations of _"Stop!", "Please…" _and _"This isn't you!"_

When the sound of tears became apparent within the screaming boy's mantra, Blaine turned over and shook Kurt awake, unable to take it anymore. He wasn't sure how he, or _anyone _in the house could sleep while that was going on, but he wanted to stop it.

"Kurt," he whispered urgently when his boyfriend merely frowned in his sleep. "Kurt, you have to wake up. This is urgent."

"'m sleeping," Kurt murmured, his eyes staying stubbornly closed. Blaine sighed, wincing when the screams hit him again.

"Kurt, you _have_ to wake up. I think Sebastian's in trouble. Can't you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"The _screaming?_" Blaine said, shocked that Kurt was so unaware. Kurt seemed to consider it for a moment, listening out and just sighing.

"It's nothing, Blaine, go back to sleep."

"_Nothing? _He's screaming, Kurt!"

"He gets night terrors Blaine, there's nothing we can do. Go. To. Sleep," Kurt said, opening his eyes to look at Blaine sternly. Blaine just gawked at him, wondering how anyone could treat this as nothing.

"But… He sounds terrified."

"Hence the name, night _terrors. _He's been this way for a while. He'll wear himself out, soon."

"There's nothing we can do?"

"Nothing," Kurt said finally, closing his eyes again and rolling over, facing away from Blaine. "Go to sleep, honey. Sebastian will be fine."

Blaine just stared at him, feeling so frustrated that they wouldn't even try to help the screaming boy in the next room. He curled in on himself, closing his eyes but with no intention of sleep. While Sebastian's cries went on, Blaine laid awake, his heart tightening in his chest as he continued to unwillingly listen. There was no sleep for either of them until the screaming finally subsided, and a shuddering sigh escaped Blaine in relief, but he found no peace in sleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys :) I hope the pace of my updates doesn't bother you too much, with uni it's very hard to fit this in :P I hope you're liking it so far! The next chapter will have much more Seblaine interaction :) If you guys have any criticism on anything, please don't hesitate to tell me. I would really love to improve my writing skills so it would honestly mean the world to me if you told me the way I do something bothers you :P I'll get my next update to you ASAP! 3


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Howdy :) So Seb talks French a bit here, and I think I got it right? But I may be wrong. I'm not really pro material xD Enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 4**

Blaine woke up the next morning feeling weirdly worn down. The sunlight hit him a little harder than it usually did, and he didn't have Kurt's arms wrapped around him like they so often were in the morning; instead, the other boy was curled up, facing away from him and still very much asleep. Blaine couldn't help but frown at the oddly cold position, but shrugged, forcing himself out of the bed. He could easily act like it didn't bother him, but with such a weirdly hostile environment for somewhere two people slept, it definitely wasn't somewhere he could stay.

After quietly dressing and sorting out his hair, Blaine made his way down the stairs of the familiar Hummel home. He didn't often eat breakfast alone there, but he'd done it a couple of times if Kurt had been in a rush to leave or he had to make breakfast for him in bed. It still felt terribly lonely, though, and he couldn't help but sigh as the solitude of the morning began to creep up on him.

Until he saw Sebastian slouching against a counter in the kitchen.

Blaine smiled slightly, but the smile quickly faltered when he remembered the night before and took in the state of sleep-deprived Sebastian. His hair was never particular tame in the morning, but that morning it just seemed to lack life, adding to the obviously exhausted posture of Sebastian's stance. There were dark circles under his tired eyes, and he even looked a little paler than usual. Blaine's eyes shined with sympathy, put off balance on seeing Sebastian like this, but before he could try to say anything the half bother whirled round, smiling at Blaine after a split second of shock.

"Hey," he said, and Blaine couldn't help but note how croaky his voice was.

"Hey," he replied, smiling.

"Kurt not with you? I'm surprised he let you out of his sight."

"He's still asleep," Blaine explained with a chuckle on his lips. "He doesn't have me on a leash, you know."

"Well, I don't know what you guys are into," Sebastian shrugged, and Blaine couldn't help be relieved that Sebastian's banter was still very much awake. "Although you _do _resemble an old married couple."

"What? No we do-"

"How often do you have sex?"

"Excuse me?" Blaine stuttered, feeling a blush grow on his cheeks. Sebastian smirked, taking a step closer to him and marvelling at the heat rising on his face.

"The fact that the word _sex _can make you blush is a good enough tell-tale for me. I thought as much, but it's okay. Old couples are adorable. Toast?" Sebastian asked just as the toaster popped up with a considerable amount of bread in it. Blaine was still staring at Sebastian in a dumbfounded manner, and when he realised it was his turn to talk, the blush on his face only intensified.

"Y-yeah," he smiled, nodding. Sebastian chuckled, piling an equal amount of toast onto two plates and handing one to Blaine before going ahead to spread butter onto his own. Blaine found himself watching him; watching as he fought hard to keep up the identity that was _Sebastian Smythe, _how he seemed to be spreading the toast too firmly and if he looked round slightly, he could see Sebastian's intense concentration on the simple task. After a few moments, he slowed down to a stop, growing very conscious of the pair of eyes on him, but when he turned to meet Blaine's gaze the other boy didn't turn away. Instead, he fumbled over the words he wanted to say, desperate to find out what the previous night was all about, but was also conscious of the hair's standing on end as Sebastian's eyes bore into his in such a way, it was almost as though he was trying to warn him off. When the words were finally ready on his lips, the two of them ended up both speaking at once, neither catching a word of what the other had to say before they were disrupted.

"There you are!" Kurt's voice chimed, shocking them both into silence. As he approached Blaine and kissed him quick on the lips, Sebastian just shrugged, picking up the plate and breezing past them both without another word. Kurt smiled sweetly at Blaine, almost as if he hadn't even noticed his half-brother's presence.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking at Blaine with wide eyes. Blaine hesitated before nodding with a small smile.

"Of course," he murmured. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Exactly what I was wondering," Kurt said, taking both of Blaine's hands into his own. "I'm glad you're okay, honey. Listen, I'm gonna go to Mercedes's later, ok? And I'm sleeping over, so…"

"So I have to spend a night at home," Blaine laughed. "I guess I should pay my folks a visit once in a while."

Kurt smiled, pulling him closer and kissing him again.

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

* * *

The first thing he was conscious of were soft noises, harshly hitting against his ear drum.

It was a terrible thing, to be in such a sleep deprived state. It wasn't the first time, and he'd be damned if it was the last. Begrudgingly, he snapped his sea green eyes open to confirm that he had fallen asleep in the tree house. He sighed, looking out of the tiny window. Judging by the state of the sky, it was already dusk. He'd almost slept through a whole day.

With a long stretch and click of his neck, Sebastian finally found the incentive to leave the tree house, breathing in deeply and taking another stretch up towards the sky when he was on his feet. He felt as though he was still dreaming, but the way every sense seemed to be hitting him too hard was proof to him that this was reality. He looked towards the house, staying completely still. He didn't want to admit it, but he really, _really _didn't want to face Blaine.

Sure, he didn't know the guy, but there was no mistaking the sympathy the shorter boy had looked at him with that very morning. Sebastian almost couldn't take it. Not from him. He didn't _know _him, and sure, he'd heard the other Warbler's talk incredibly highly of him but he wasn't prepared for this. And the last thing he wanted from legend, dreamboat-mouth Blaine Anderson who boxed in secret and sung every song like it was last, was pity. It made him feel small. And there weren't many people who could do that.

But it wasn't just that. He wanted to leave an impression on Blaine that wasn't so… pathetic. To show the side of himself that he was most comfortable in before the former Warbler could find _any _of that stuff out about him. As he looked through the windows, waiting for a fair amount of time as his eyes flickered around what space he could see inside the house, he was content there was no one there who would confront him any time soon. So, without a second thought, he bee lined for the kitchen door.

While the house was seemingly quiet, Sebastian dared for the first time since he moved to switch on his phone. It took a moment for it to start, but the screen was suddenly alight with messages, and Sebastian was shocked. He honestly didn't think anyone would care he was gone.

'Dude, you alive? I asked around, even your Scandals… "friends" don't know where you are. Let me know you're still breathing? – Jeff'

'Moved away again, Smythe? Send me a post card, this time? (Seriously though, if you moved without telling me I'll find you and kick your ass.) – Nick'

'I never thought I'd be so genuinely concerned, but I'm genuinely concerned. Are you okay? If you've left your phone at one of your hook up's houses, Bas… - Trent'

The texts went on, and Sebastian's smile grew. He hadn't been able to describe something as heart-warming for a while, but to know these guys really cared about him… that they really saw him as a _friend_, he couldn't help but feel a little better after everything that happened. After reassuring Jeff that he was alive, Nick that he was still in the country and Trent that he was okay, he leant against the kitchen wall and smiled happily, feeling kinda stupid for going back over the texts but assuring himself it was okay since he'd had such a hard few months.

When Kurt came into the kitchen however, his defences were thrown up so fast it took himself a second to register what happened.

"Looks like you just rolled in from a typical Sebastian night out," Kurt remarked, raising an eyebrow at his half-brother as he grabbed a glass from a cupboard. Sebastian raised a challenging eyebrow back, aware his hair was probably a state but knew Kurt had no right to say that considering what he was wearing.

"Out to experience the night for yourself, Kurt?" he asked, looking him up and down in the most patronising way he could muster. Kurt looked up at him, and the pause lasted a bit too long before he replied.

"No," he said simply grabbing a bottle from out of a cabinet. "I'm going to Mercedes's."

"Are you sure?" Sebastian asked. "You seemed a little… Is that _wine_?"

"What's it to you?" Kurt asked, frowning defensively. His shoulders were slightly hunched and his eyes just a bit too panicky. Sebastian found himself genuinely worried.

"Where are you going, Kurt?" he asked again quietly.

"I'm going to Mercedes's. I'm going there, and I'm sleeping over. I'll be back tomorrow." With that, Kurt fled the room, leaving Sebastian in a terrible state of confusion. Something didn't add up. And Sebastian was afraid he knew why.

* * *

When the doorbell rang the third time, Sebastian gave in. It was evident Burt wasn't going to answer it, and whoever it was had incredible patience. He sighed, rolling off of his bed and strolling casually down the stairs, grabbing the door open and finding himself shocked to see Blaine on the other side. Blaine seemed to share in it for a moment, before a smile broke on his lips, and Sebastian softened slightly. Maybe he'd forgotten about the other night.

"Hi," Blaine grinned. "Uh… did I wake you?"

"The rough look not working for you?" Sebastian teased, running a hand through his bed-hair that he simply didn't have the motivation to sort out. Blaine just chuckled.

"Well either way, you still like… rough? So I just… I mean, not that you look _rough _because you look in perfect health. Just, it's morning, so-"

"Blaine," Sebastian grinned. "It's fine. I was reading."

"Reading?"

"Does that surprise you?"

"…No?"

Sebastian laughed, stepping out the way and closing the door behind him.

"Where's Kurt?" Blaine asked, already making his way towards the living room. Sebastian's smile faltered slightly.

"At Mercedes's?"

"Oh. Oh right, he stayed over. He's still there? He was meant to be back by now," Blaine said shrugging. "Guess that explains why he wasn't texting me much last night." He didn't turn to look at Sebastian, which was probably just as well considering the taller boy's contemplative expression. He was thinking of just going back upstairs, when Blaine addressed him again.

"Hey, by the way, I remember where I recognise you from!"

"You never said you recognised me," Sebastian said, raising his eyebrows. Blaine stuttered.

"I… Oh. Well, you captained the Warbler's, right? We were against you in Regionals! You guys were _awesome!_"

"Clearly not awesome enough," Sebastian smirked. "But it's not fair, because the New Directions have got you. I might not have heard you sing, but word has it you're quite something, Anderson."

Blaine laughed, smiling shyly and Sebastian was sure he could catch the hint of a blush on his cheeks. It made him grin wider.

"The Warbler's would say that. I love those guys," Blaine smiled, looking away.

"Well, maybe one day I can hear the proof?"

"Maybe."

Sebastian's eyes shone as he spoke to Blaine, absolutely adoring his bashful quirks. He watched as Blaine's eyes drifted over the pictures on the mantelpiece , seeming perfectly at ease, and Sebastian couldn't help but love how the other boy could be so modest and yet so unawkward all at once. He was refreshing to be around.

"How come I never saw you around Dalton before?" Blaine asked suddenly, taking Sebastian off guard. "I mean, you don't really seem like a Freshman."

Sebastian chuckled slightly. "I lived in Paris for a while," he explained. "With my aunt."

"You lived in _Paris_?" Blaine repeated. "For how long?"

"A few years," he shrugged.

"So can you speak French?"

"Oui, je parle couramment Français."

Blaine stared at him for a moment, and Sebastian's grin grew, registering the slightly glazed over look in Blaine's eyes and knowing what he was thinking. His speaking French was hot, there was no question. And having had the time to master the pronunciation to a tee, Sebastian wasn't exactly an amateur. A blush was becoming more and more visible on Blaine's cheeks, and it was all Sebastian could do not to chuckle under his breath.

"I don't understand," Blaine finally blurted out, looking at him with wide eyes as if he felt really guilty.

"Cool, right? I told you I'm fluent in French," Sebastian explained, looking down for a moment before meeting Blaine's gaze with a glint in his eyes. "Vous êtes jolie."

"What does that mean?" Blaine asked, his smile perfectly ignorant. Sebastian just looked at him, holding his gaze with the trade mark smirk on his lips before the door came crashing open.

"I'm back!" Kurt's voice yelled, walking straight into the living room. "What're you doing here, honey? I saw your car outside, you should've told me you were coming over and I-"

Blaine cut Kurt off with a kiss, smiling happy and naively with the thought that Kurt's babbling was cute. Sebastian looked away, still confused by Kurt's behaviour the night before.

"Sooo, how was Mercedes's?" Blaine asked, putting his arms around Kurt's waist. His boyfriend hesitated for a moment, and Sebastian's eyes shifted to look at him, growing more and more suspicious by the second.

"Great!" Kurt said, grinning too wide. "Great, great. I really missed that girl," he smiled, putting his own arms around Blaine's shoulders. "But I missed you more."

"Aww," Blaine smiled, followed by a gagging noise from Sebastian. Kurt shot a glare at him. "Hey, Kurt, you speak French, right?"

"You know I do."

"What does _vous êtes jolie _mean?"

Blaine paled slightly when Kurt began to laugh, looking up at Sebastian with panic only to see him smirking back at him. "Oh, Blaine, did you learn that just for me? You think I'm pretty?"

"Uh… is that what I said?"

"Aww, how did I end up with such a cute boyfriend?"

Blaine chuckled, returning the hug again when Kurt initiated it but looking at Sebastian, who just winked playfully at him before leaving the room. When Kurt pulled away, Blaine was fully composed and smiling again – but his head was suddenly full with thoughts of Sebastian.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I felt bad for taking so long so here have two chapters. Also reviews are greatly appreciated, good or bad. Enjoy! :)  
**

**Chapter 5 **

It became evident to Blaine that escaping thoughts of Sebastian were not going to be easy. Not only was the boy becoming more and more intriguing by the second, but the so called night terrors continued, and one night, Blaine just couldn't take it any longer.

He stared up at the ceiling, completely mobile in the bed except for a concerned frown on his face while Sebastian's distress pierced the night. He looked over at Kurt, almost annoyed to see he was sound asleep. Sebastian's cries of horror had become like background noise to him, sleeping through it as though it were the loud conversation of two drunkards passing by. He couldn't believe there was _nothing _that could be done. And seeing Sebastian look so wrecked the next day always made him regret not trying.

With one last look at Kurt, he slipped out of the bed and tip-toed towards Sebastian's room. The screams were enough to make him physically flinch, and he was almost scared to open the door in fear of what he would find, but he powered through it. He didn't want to come so close just to go right back.

When he pushed open the door, his heart dropped; Sebastian looked so uncharacteristically vulnerable. His hands were clutching desperately at the top of the duvet, curled in on himself and whimpering in such a way he sounded as though he was in pain. What tore him up the most, however, was the fearful expression on his face. His eyes were squeezed shut, brow furrowed and breath coming fast. Blaine carefully walked forward and whispered his name, barely able to hear himself at first.

"Seb," he murmured, getting closer and closer to him. "Sebastian."

The boy in question shrieked, and Blaine jumped away, almost knocking things over in his shock. A mantra of "_no no no" _came streaming from Sebastian's lip, tossing and turning against the guest double bed and gripping desperately on to the duvet. He curled tighter in on himself, his words begging "_please, please". _Blaine was too afraid to do anything, unsure if he had started the fit of horror but wasn't ready to give up, yet.

"Sebastian?" he whispered timidly, kneeling down. The other boy seemed to whimper in reply, and Blaine felt a glimmer of hope. "Sebastian, it's me. It's Blai-"

"Help," Sebastian breathed, his breath shuddering and his body suddenly shaking. He shook his head, and Blaine was sure he was sobbing now, even though his eyes were still clamped shut. Almost instinctively, Blaine reached out and squeezed his shoulder, regretting it immediately when Sebastian gasped and opened his eyes in panic. He jumped back, crawling as far away as he could from Blaine and not taking his wide, terrified eyes off him. Not even blinking.

"Se… Sebastian?"

"Please don't hurt me," he whispered. "Please."

"What? Why would I hurt you?"

"I know you want to," Sebastian said, his voice shaking with fear. "But you don't have to do this. We can be happy."

"What are you talking about?" Blaine asked with a growing feeling of anxiety. "Sebastian, I'm _not _gonna hurt you."

"You're lying," he whimpered, pulling his legs up to his chest but not taking his eyes off Blaine. It was so bizarre to see Sebastian so afraid, but Blaine really didn't understand what was happening. He took a step closer, but Sebastian pressed himself against the back of the bed and started screaming again.

"Valarie!" He called desperately, the fear in his voice ripping through Blaine even more now that he seemed to be the cause. "Valarie! _Valarie!_"

"Sebastian, I'm sorry," he babbled, putting his hands up defensively and panicking about whoever this Valarie person was. "Please, I'm not gonna hurt you, I just wanted to h-"

"_VALARIE!_" He shrieked. The door swung open, and Blaine froze, afraid that the woman Sebastian had been calling for had somehow come to his aid. He was no less relieved to see Kurt, standing there with a less than unimpressed expression, his arms crossed and his eyes looking between the both of them with annoyance. Blaine looked back at him helplessly, unsure who to feel worse for.

"Kurt?" Sebastian said, in such a tone of voice that Blaine couldn't help but frown at him. It was said with such confusion, such ignorance, that it surely couldn't have come from Sebastian's mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"You're in my house, Sebastian. Take a look around you. You've been here for a little while now, remember? This is Blaine."

Slowly, Sebastian began to nod, looking up at Blaine regrettably before not looking at him at all. His arms hugged his legs closer to his chest, and his expression showed nothing but shame and sadness. Blaine had to look away. It was too much.

"…Kurt?" Sebastian asked timidly, his eyes unsure. "C-Could you… maybe…"

"No. They're just dreams, Sebastian. Go to sleep."

Sebastian nodded again, slowly turning to look at Blaine who was even more confused. He looked like he was trying to muster up the courage, trying to find some way to let his guard down, but in the end he just sighed, dropping his gaze.

"Go," he said, his voice harsh but defeated. Blaine frowned slightly, but did as he was told, following Kurt back to their room after looking back at Sebastian one last time. He'd looked up at him only for a moment, and Blaine wished he could read what was behind his eyes.

"What was that about?" Blaine asked as they slipped back into bed, knowing he was treading thin ice. "What he was asking you."

Kurt sighed. "Do you have to know?"

"I really wanna know, Kurt. I don't understand _any _of this."

"Fine," he grumbled. "When Sebastian's like that, the only way he can get better is if there's someone sleeping in the same bed as him. And if someone holds him he doesn't have the dreams at all. He was asking me to sleep in the same bed as him. But he needs to realise I'm not his parent during a thunderstorm."

"…Oh," Blaine whispered, feeling bad. "So… what are those dreams actually about?"

"_Just go to sleep_," Kurt snapped, speaking so viciously that Blaine was almost scared into silence. But despite being told so, he couldn't. And now that he knew there _was _a way to make Sebastian better, he knew things would only get harder for him when he had to choose between the snappiness of his boyfriend versus the terrors in Sebastian's mind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

There's something powerful in how someone's posture and body language can change everything. There was once a man walking side by side with Marilyn Monroe, and asked her why no one was approaching or noticing her, to which she merely flipped her hair, lifted her chin and walked tall, and America's beauty was flooded by admirers in seconds. But all it takes is the proudest, most self-assured person to show an inch of doubt, and the world would suddenly question them, maybe grow obsessed, maybe even lose sleep over this one, tiny change.

Blaine didn't know how long he'd been staring at the ceiling for, but the sun had definitely risen. He was only aware time had gone by when he heard the soft _click _of Sebastian's door, the all too quiet footsteps that took him down the stairs, and the less graceful exit out the back door. Finally tearing his eyes away from the spot they had been fixed on for hours, Blaine looked at the time. It had only just gone 6am.

Looking towards the door, he felt the overwhelming urge to pelt after the secretive boy – but when he'd obviously been so determined to be undetected, Blaine couldn't quite find the drive to be so invasive. As time ticked on, though, the door became torturous; an invitation to understand what was happening.

Quietly, Blaine slipped out of the bed, not even pressing a soft kiss to Kurt's sleeping face in the fear he'd wake him. He made sure to keep checking back, though, satisfied that his boyfriend's gently shut eyes were solid proof of his sleep. Swallowing the weird, guilty feeling, he left the room for good, gently closing the door and pattering down the stairs not unlike Sebastian had minutes ago. He traced the half-brother's footsteps, stepping outside into the garden and suddenly realising he had no idea what happened from here.

He looked around. The Hummel garden wasn't particularly special, but there was a chance it had been once. Now, there were patches of tall grass where Burt just hadn't had the time to cut it, weeds sprouting messily and ivy growing recklessly over a little shed in the corner. Blaine's eye was drawn to the big tree in the middle, following the tiny wooden blocks that made a ladder up to the tree house. He'd never been in there. For whatever reason, Kurt just wouldn't let him, and now that he was standing face to face with the mysterious childhood relic, he almost felt as though he was being stared down by something sacred. As though he was a bad omen.

With shivers down his spine, he turned his back on the almost scary feeling garden and walked back inside. There was no way he could go back to bed, now, but where else could he go? He wasn't quite hungry, yet, and nothing would be on the TV. After wondering aimlessly for what felt like an age, Blaine found himself in a room he'd only seen a few times; the room he could only refer to in his head as the piano room. It was small, and chillingly foreign to him. There was floral wallpaper around the walls and vases with no flowers in them. Yellowing books full of scores and lyrics, and just a couple of chairs to the side while the antique, wooden piano stood as the main feature of the room. Kurt had taken him in there on few occasions, just to play a few songs with him or if he was feeling sentimental. But the main thing that had Blaine feeling weird about being in this room was that it was commonly seen by Kurt as his mother's room. Somewhere he'd go when he'd miss her, and with the amount of pictures of him and his mom all around the room, it wasn't exactly a hidden fact. After looking at a few, Blaine caught himself looking for things in Kurt's mom and seeing Sebastian's nose, Sebastian's hair colour, Sebastian's height…

With a sigh of almost frustration, Blaine looked away, sitting down on the piano bench before he could think about it and running his hands delicately over the keys. The piano was definitely old, there was no doubt about it, and Blaine had to brace himself when he dared to push down on one of the keys but was pleasantly surprised to find it in tune. A small smile formed on his lips, warmth flooding his heart just at that tiny sound. It felt like so long since he'd properly just got lost in music.

He closed his eyes, and played the first thing that came into his mind. He was glad for his ability to press each key delicately, knowing that although Burt could easily be awake by now, Kurt wouldn't appreciate such an early morning call. His hands flew through an instrumental version of Teenage Dream, transitioning into a slightly slower feel with Beyonce's _Halo, _and finally letting his voice slip in as his music grew more melancholy, his eyes remaining closed as he poured his heart into a song which his heart really had no place in. He was almost shocked when his own rendition of _How To Save A Life _came to an end, and even more shocked when he opened his eyes to find Sebastian standing at the doorway with the most honest, saddest smile Blaine had ever seen on his face. When Blaine met his gaze, Sebastian looked down, arms folded over his chest. The curly haired boy could see he was fighting an internal battle with himself again, and just this once, Blaine wanted it to play out in his favour. If Sebastian turned away, his disappointment would be crushing .

"That was good," Sebastian said, looking up at Blaine again and smiling. His arms were still folded tightly across his chest, like he really wasn't entirely comfortable, but Blaine felt a glimmer of hope.

"Thanks," he chuckled, looking down. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know you have a thing for the Top 40," Sebastian smirked. "Are you wearing silk pyjamas?"

"I… They… Maybe?" Blaine stammered, earning a small laugh from Sebastian. The taller boy properly walked into the room, keeping his eyes on the floor until he reached the piano bench where he squeezed himself in next to Blaine. He looked at the piano, his smile still undoubtedly sad as he reached forwards to brush the keys.

"You should play something," he murmured, not looking up. "And sing."

"What do you want me to play?" Blaine asked, tilting his head to try and look at Sebastian. His eyes were still down, though, looking at his own hand as it traced across the piano.

"Surprise me."

Blaine smiled, turning back to the piano and thinking. He couldn't help but notice Sebastian's lack of spirit, but wasn't about to fight his request – whatever it was that was wrong with him, whether he'd tell Blaine or not, the ex-warbler knew that music was healing. He couldn't take away the dreams, or make the taller boy open up to him, but he could sing. He frowned at the first song to cross his mind, looking over at Sebastian to see he was still watching the piano, and he shrugged, immediately breaking into _The Blower's Daughter _by Damien Rice.

"_And so it is,_" he started, absorbing himself so fast into the song that he wasn't aware of Sebastian's gaze turning onto him, the tired, green eyes watching him as if he were the only thing in the world. Blaine found himself getting lost in it, just like he often did, and couldn't help the way his voice so soulfully sung, "_I can't take my mind off of you,_" over and over again. He hadn't even noticed Sebastian's head on his shoulder until the end of the song pulled him back to reality, but he froze, straining his eyes in attempt to see if he was sleeping.

"Sebastian," he whispered, not receiving any response at first. He sighed softly, wondering how the taller boy could possibly be comfortable, but for a moment he let his own head rest against his, feeling the weight of the night settle on him. His eyes began to grow heavy, his weight gradually slumping more and more onto Sebastian, until his voice shocked him back into awakeness.

"We should sing something together."

"Wha…?"

"Like, you know, a duet?"

"I thought you were asleep…"

"You thought wrong," he smirked, his fingers walking up the keys. "So what do you say?"

"Sebastian," Blaine said, placing his hand on top of the one that was walking up the piano. "Why do you… A-at… I mean, sometimes, at night, you-"

"If you don't wanna sing with me, just say," Sebastian said, recoiling his hand from underneath Blaine's and straightening up. "Kurt doesn't like me being in here, anyway."

"…What?" Blaine whispered. The green eyed boy finally met his eye, and despite the mild annoyance and tiredness, there was still some form of defeat. Blaine forced himself not to look away again.

"This is mom's room. But it's not. It's _Kurt's _mom's room." He finally looked around properly, at the picture on top of the piano of a beautiful, tawny haired woman holding a baby. "This was her room. It was hers. But there's not a single picture of me in here."

Blaine stared at him, totally unsure what to say but there was no missing the crack in the green eyed boy's voice. His eyes were wide with hurt for him, but as soon as Sebastian caught the emotion he winced, looking away. Blaine, however, refused to let him close up, and reached out for his hand again. The look on Sebastian's face could resemble that of a deer in headlights, but after Blaine's fingers curled around his, Sebastian's face softened. The fight was there in his expression again, but Blaine wouldn't let him go. And it seemed, somehow, Sebastian knew.

"I met her twice in my life. And the first time, she spent the whole day playing piano with me and teaching me new things. She just came out of the blue," Sebastian said, laughing humourlessly. "That's the only good memory I have with her. But I was no good for her. Or dad." He sighed. "I'm sorry for keeping you up with my… you know."

"Why do they happen?" Blaine asked, disregarded the unneeded apology. Sebastian shook his head, almost apologetically.

"I can't tell you," he replied. "There's a lot you don't know… A lot they wouldn't _want _you to know, and I guess it's not my place to say."

"But you're the one who's effected by all this," Blaine said quietly. Sebastian nodded.

"Maybe so. Maybe I deserve it." He shrugged, smiling but letting the smile falter when he looked into Blaine's eyes, seeing that it was okay to not be the person he felt he had to be in front of the Hummel's. "I can't," he whispered. "But if I do… You need to know that it's okay for you to walk away from me at any time."

"Why would I-"

"I can't tell you," he repeated, eyes hard. "Just… promise me you won't make me."

"I promise," Blaine said immediately, the urgency in Sebastian's voice scaring him into agreement.

"Sing with me?" Sebastian asked, a glint of hope in his eyes. Blaine was taken aback by the sudden change of topic, but allowed himself to smile, eyes settling back on the piano. After playing a small intro, he nodded at Sebastian to sing and start off the song, glad he had no quarrels with the choice as _New Morning _filled the small room. Blaine found he loved their voices entwined with each other. The harmonies he played against Sebastian's voice and the way the other boy responded was so much different from when he sung with Kurt, and it was amazingly refreshing, but more than that, it had him hooked. Singing brought out a whole new side to Sebastian, and Blaine could almost hear his heart being let into the freedom of a song. He stole glances whenever he could, rare for him when he usually got so lost in his singing, but Sebastian would only be looking right back with a smile on his face like he had everything under control but he was free all at once. Like the happiest person on Earth.

When the song ended, Blaine was met with a feeling of resentment. Why did things like that have to have an end? He could feel Sebastian eyes on him before he turned to meet his gaze, and his smile grew along with the blush on his cheeks. Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle a little, sure he mustn't be well or something when he could feel a blush of his own creeping up his neck.

"You look tired," Sebastian said, bumping shoulders with Blaine. "You should get some rest."

"Out of the both of us, I think it's fair to say you're the one who needs to sleep."

"Not me, Killer," Sebastian grinned, standing up from the piano bench and stretching. "But if you're just looking for a way into my bed, you only had to say."

"Go to sleep, Sebastian," Blaine chuckled, watching as the taller boy slowly made his way to the door.

"You too, Blaine. Dream of me." With that, and a quick wink, Sebastian was gone from the room. Blaine smiled, staring at the door for a long time before he finally forced himself up, dragging himself towards the stairs and back into the room with his still sleeping boyfriend. As he thought of the weight that he'd lifted off Sebastian's shoulders, and the happy expression on the other boy's face, he found he could fall asleep easily. But never would he dare to admit that he'd followed Sebastian's last words to him.

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter kinda came about unplanned, so although it's relevant its kinda fillerish? So sorry But I hope you liked it :) And thank you so much for your feedback lately, I'm going to do my best to take it on board! It gave me some ideas, so hopefully you'll see that come out soon :) I'm away this week so I don't know if I'll update as quick but I'll do my best!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, travelling has been hectic :( Thank you for your reviews, they've been very helpful! I tried to take on board what you said but I fear I may have rushed it a little. I will try to keep improving :) Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7

It took Blaine a lot of time to muster up the courage to discuss the week long summer programme with Kurt. He'd come very close to just auditioning anyway, but every time he came close, he couldn't help but think of the repercussions with Kurt if he wasn't happy with it. He really wanted to go through with it, but more than anything, he wanted Kurt's support - there was no way he could do this if he knew his boyfriend would be glaring about it back home. Besides, who would Blaine sing for?

He waited in the living room, playing with his hands as he tried to think of the right thing to say. It wasn't as though Kurt was completely heartless, but Blaine was being over cautious – he knew how important it was to him that they spend all this time together during their summer, and that was simply it. Maybe if he could somehow convince Kurt to come with him, or that a week really wasn't that much of a long time, he would be okay?

Blaine bit his lip in doubt of himself, when an unexpected voice cut across his thoughts.

"Is that smoke coming off of your head?"

"What?" Blaine asked, turning round to see Sebastian cocking his eyebrow at him.

"I think the gel in your hair must be burning from you thinking too hard," Sebastian smirked, tilting his head. "Seriously, I'm sure I've never seen such an intense expression on your face."

"Oh, it's nothing," Blaine chuckled, playing with his hands and looking away. Sebastian frowned slightly, stepping closer to him so he was leaning on the arm of the couch.

"Well if you need to take some heat out of that frying head of yours, I'm not wearing gel."

"What?"

"You can talk to me," Sebastian finally said, and Blaine was sure his cheeks were tinging pink. "If you want to."

"Oh. Gee, thanks Seb," Blaine smiled. Sebastian's smirk returned, biting his lip to stop himself from chuckling.

"The last time I heard someone say 'gee, thanks' was in a Scooby Doo cartoon. When I was eight," he grinned. "Not that it's bad," he added, seeing Blaine look a little demeaned by his previous comment. "It's cute."

"Cute?" Blaine repeated, his lips turning up into a grin when the blush on Sebastian's face was unmistakable. The taller boy found himself lost for words, his mouth opening as if a snarky reply would be ready on the tip of his tongue but nothing came out. Instead, he cleared his throat, lifting his head to try and retain his dignity.

"So I was looking for you," he said, not missing the amused expression on Blaine's face with the sudden change of topic. "The Warbler guys are all gonna meet up in a couple days, mess around a bit, maybe finally witness Nick and Jeff realise they're in love with each other. You want in?"

"Seriously?" Blaine asked, his eyes wide and eager.

"Well if that's how happy it makes you, I'd hate myself if I was kidding," Sebastian grinned. "I'll tell them their precious Blaine will see them soon, then."

"This is great! I've missed those guys so much!"

"You keep saying," Sebastian teased. "I'm serious, if you miss them so much, why don't you go back?"

Blaine's expression turned sad, really wishing it was that simple but he was sure he'd already done far too much messing around when he transferred the first time. Before he could really give Sebastian an answer, though, Kurt sauntered into the room, smiling widely and Blaine and elegantly sitting next to him on the couch.

"Hey, honey," he beamed, pressing a quick kiss to his lips as if, once again, he'd totally disregarded Sebastian's presence. "I'm sorry I made you wait."

"Don't be silly, I know how important your outfit and such is to you. You okay?"

"I'm great, sweetie. How about you? You're awfully quiet down here."

Blaine cast a confused look towards Sebastian before looking back at Kurt, wondering if he was really oblivious to the conversation he was literally just having. "I-I'm okay," he replied. "But there is something I wanna ask you."

"Oh?" Kurt asked, but Blaine couldn't help notice Sebastian's attention on him, too. He swallowed, focusing on Kurt and taking his hands into his own.

"There's this… Uh… Um. I wanna… I wanna do this summer programme."

"What?" Kurt asked, eyes narrowed.

"It's amazing, Kurt! It's got everything, and it's only a week long but there's a performance at the end of it in a park and it's really not far from here. I mean, the place itself is a tiny bit of a way away, so I'll have to actually stay on site, but it's just for a week? And if you're okay with it, I'd really love to dedicate my songs to you."

"A week?" Kurt repeated, raising his eyebrow. Blaine's heart sunk – if that was the main thing he took out of it, he was sure the other factors had no hope of redeeming him.

"I… Yeah, a week, but… I mean, I can call you every day? It might be… I dunno… Good practice."

"_Good practice?_" he mimicked, his eyes livid. "You know we basically have _two months_ left, right? And because of this Washington thing with my dad soon, we already have some time taken out. That, and the other days that will no doubt intervene, we won't have much time, and once I'm in New York, I'm there. I won't be back until Christmas."

"I know," Blaine said quietly, folding his arms and looking down. Sebastian's lips were pressed together in a tight line, the usual humour in his eyes no longer there as he watched them.

"And you want to take a _week _out of that?" Kurt asked.

"You're right," Blaine sighed. "You're right, Kurt… I knew it before I even thought about signing up. It was a stupid thing to do."

"I'm sorry, honey. I really, really am. I just wanna see you as much as I can, okay? We really don't have much time."

"I know."

Kurt hesitated, looking at Blaine carefully. "Are you okay?"

"I… yeah. I mean, are you sure there's no way I can go? Not even if you came with me? We could stay in a hotel, get dinner out… It could be really romantic?"

"I really can't afford to do that, Blaine."

"I'll pay for you."

"Look, if you do this, then… you do it. But just know that if you do, I won't be happy." He squeezed Blaine's hand, offering him a small smile that had an unmissable underline of disappointment. "Shall we get going?"

"Yeah," Blaine smiled, squeezing Kurt's hand back. Kurt pressed a quick kiss to his lips before standing and pulling him towards the door, talking about how excited he was for their date, but Blaine was distracted by the gaze he could feel burning into the back of his head. He turned round, briefly meeting Sebastian's eyes, but he immediately registered what he saw there. It was the first time he'd ever seen a form of anger on Sebastian's face.

* * *

As soon as the door closed, Sebastian threw the closest thing to him across the room, covering his hands over his face before he even had time to register what it was. He should have said something. When did he ever hold his tongue? But with the utter loss on Blaine's face, and the ruthlessness rolling off of Kurt's tongue, he'd been lost for words. He knew something was off with Blaine the moment he laid eyes on him, but now that he knew why, it angered him. Why didn't he stand up for himself? Why didn't he _say _something? Did he really love Kurt enough to give up so much for him? By the way Kurt could look at Blaine with hard eyes despite his boyfriend's heartbroken expression, he couldn't help but feel he didn't share the same level of love. He looked out the window, watching as Blaine held the door open for Kurt, and he felt a little sick. It was almost as though nothing had happened, but Sebastian was watching him closely, and it was there, in his eyes. The pain. The pain that he had to keep sheltered because his boyfriend just _didn't care. _

Sebastian turned away, biting the inside of his cheek. He wanted to run out and call Blaine back, but it was too late for that. But he had to do _something. _He wasn't about to let him give up.

He stood up from the living room chair that was far too comfy to accommodate Sebastian's frustration, walking along the corridor and up the stairs with a sense of urgency. His bedroom didn't have much of a personal feel in it, but it was perfect in terms of simplicity, and his gut told him that it may have been something his mom worked particularly hard on before she passed away. He ignored it as best as he could, having already taken the flowers out the room and replaced them with towers of Starbucks cups. He'd throw them away, but then the room would be empty, and he'd have to remember why he was there.

He pushed a pile of paper cups off the side, lifting the lid of his laptop and waiting impatiently for it to load. He was grateful that Dalton could give a laptop to each of its students, but they weren't particularly built for speed, and Sebastian had chewed off half his finger nail by the time it finally logged on. Now came the hard part. How was he supposed to find the summer programme Blaine wanted to audition for?

There weren't an overwhelming amount of programmes in Ohio, but enough to make it a far from simple task. There were some ranged at certain age groups, others at a certain style of music… and then, Sebastian found one that ended with a performance in a park not far from them.

He smiled, reading through the information and picturing Blaine in the midst of all of it. He may not have known him very well, but he knew he worked well with people, especially with music – the time he'd gotten to sing with him, he'd harmonised so perfectly that Sebastian wished he could pull himself out of the picture and listen. This programme chose people with different skills and abilities and put them into groups, or perhaps bands was a better term, and they would create a performance for the end of the week with the help of a music director. That, and they would learn to edit a track on a computer to take home, as well as the opportunity to network. This was _perfect _for Blaine.

He didn't think twice before getting up the application form, printing one out and filling it in under Blaine's name. Trying to think like him as he filled in the answers was quite a task, but nothing Sebastian couldn't handle, and he threw in a good dose of his own charisma just for insurance. He used Facebook to get Blaine's personal details (a summer birthday – he couldn't help but think how fitting that was) before he found himself hitting a wall in his plan – the address. His only option was to fill out the Hummel address, but that was too risky. If Kurt saw the letter from the programme addressed to his boyfriend, there was no way it could end well – for him, or for Blaine. He bit his lip, tilting his head to the side and looking at his cell phone. He guessed there was another way, but it was something he'd never done, and never wanted to do. He sighed, picking up his cell and scrolling through the address book until he got to the name of the Warbler he could trust the most. He had to ask for a favour.

* * *

Nick hated running.

Well, maybe hate was a strong word; if it was the kind of dance-running one would do in a performance, or running from his stupidly energetic best friend when he decided to chase him with a water pistol, he didn't mind so much. But when he was happily having a lazy afternoon (with said best friend) in his garden and his phone began to ring from inside of his house, he wasn't too pleased. Especially with the amused cackles from Jeff following him into the house.

But despite having thrown his chair out from underneath him and sprinting into the house, he couldn't help but stare at his phone for a moment.

Since when did Sebastian ever call him out of the blue?

"Hello?" he said, frowning as he wandered back out into the garden. Jeff still looked amused, but he raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he registered the look on Nick's face. Nick just shook his head, unable to offer any explanation.

"Nick, hey. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"I'm literally doing nothing," Nick told him, causing Jeff to shout "hey!" across the garden at him. Nick rolled his eyes. "I'm literally doing nothing, _with Jeff,_" he rectified, earning a smile from the boy in question.

"Oh, Jeff's there?" Sebastian piped up, but Nick caught the teasing in his voice. "You sure you don't want me to call back another time?"

"Honestly, I'm pretty sure doing nothing can wait," Nick snapped. He could almost sense Sebastian's smirk over the phone. "What's up?"

Sebastian drew a deep breath. "I just… wanted to ask… a favour."

"Okay," Nick said simply. Sebastian frowned.

"You don't even know what it is yet."

"So tell me?"

"But you already agreed. What if I asked you to kill someone for me?"

"Well then we'd have a very awkward situation on our hands," Nick smirked, finally sitting back down next to Jeff. "You're my friend, Bastian. You're allowed to ask favours from me. …Although murder is probably where we should draw the line."

"Right," Sebastian chuckled, feeling the rather foreign warming of his heart. Sometimes it was hard to keep in mind that people really thought of him as a _friend. _"Okay, so… Well, you know Blaine."

"Rings a bell."

"He wants to apply for this music programme thing, but Kurt won't let him."

"…Okay?"

"So… I filled out an application for him. Because he deserves this, right? Those guys are so old and married I can't watch them."

"It's called love, Bastian. Not everyone takes the Scandals route."

Sebastian couldn't help but grit his teeth at that, though he wasn't sure what part of Nick's sentence annoyed him more. "Look. Blaine deserves this opportunity, and I'm not letting Kurt hold him back. He really wants to do this, and Kurt telling him no doesn't seem very 'loving' to me."

"Okay, so… How do I come into this?"

"I'm filling out the application," Sebastian explained, drumming his pen against the desk. "But I can't put the Hummel's address. If Kurt finds it, he'll… I dunno, but he won't be happy with Blaine for sure. And when I explain I'm not sure if either of them would be happy with me."

"So…"

"So I wanna put your address. And when you get a letter addressed to Blaine, you can give it to me, and I can give it to Blaine if he got in. Sound good?"

Nick narrowed his eyes, turning to look at Jeff who could already tell Nick had something worth telling him. "You got it, Bastian," Nick agreed.

"Great. Thanks, Nick. Just let me know when it gets there?"

"Of course," Nick said. "But Seb… Why are you doing this?"

"Didn't I just tell you?"

"But Blaine's just… I mean, he's your half-brother's boyfriend. Why do you care?"

Sebastian swallowed, looking down and frowning. He didn't like that question. And, if he dared think about it, he was sure he'd have even more quarrels with the answer. "He said he's gonna come out with us by the way," he said, not caring for his totally unsmooth change of subject. "Blaine."

"Oh?"

"You know he's thought about transferring?"

"Well, I'm sure we can help him make the right decision," Nick grinned. Sebastian smiled over the phone, happy for how this all seemed to be playing out.

"I hope your confidence isn't in vain, Duval," he smirked. "I'll see you then?"

"Sure. Bye, Bastian."

Nick shut off the phone before he could hear Sebastian's reply, looking over at Jeff and smirking.

"What is it?" Jeff asked, already grinning expectantly.

"Well, Jeffy," Nick started, unable to stop smiling with bewilderment. "I do believe our dear Sebastian has a little crush."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Omg I know it's been forever and I'm so sorry. Uni has been stupidly hectic! But I am home for the holidays, now, so hopefully you won't have to wait that long, again. Hope you enjoy! :)  
**

**Chapter 8**

The way Sebastian was smiling was a rare sight. He was alone in his room, his hair scruffy and a lukewarm coffee in his hand, but none of that mattered – what did matter was the clips of his favourite Warbler, singing his heart out where he so obviously belonged.

He was pleasantly surprised to find so many videos of Blaine on his Facebook. He needed some kind of singing sample to send off to the summer school, but as he was looking for one he found himself distracted by the endless performances of him and The Warblers. He'd seen Blaine sing before, sure enough, but here, he was _truly _in his element. He watched how he seamlessly lead the rest of the group through the number, how he purposefully left gaps for others to fill in the performance but was still the draw of the eye. Most of all, he couldn't get over how insanely happy he seemed. There was an unmistakable sparkle in his eye, and seeing him now, he was sure it wasn't quite the same.

He held his breath as he came to the regionals performances. Having already watched Raise Your Glass twice, he only had once left, but seeing the familiar silhouette of a not so welcome figure, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to click it. He was sure he'd heard the original before – Candles, by Hey Monday, was something he knew to be a break up song. But when he finally brought himself to watch it, he realised Kurt and Blaine were singing to each other as if it was anything but.

The smile slowly ebbed from his face as he watched, a new feeling of nausea growing in his stomach. It was clear Kurt was nervous, and that Blaine was working his own performance to try and help him out. He caught every one of the glances between them, the tiny smiles and blushes, and how the rest of the Warblers stood smiling in the background. A part of him felt weirdly betrayed, even though he wasn't even in the same country when this was happening. His jaw clenched as they reached the climax of the song, where Blaine's eyes were shining with something different from before, and more importantly, they were on Kurt. He almost cringed at himself when he noticed how jealous he was, taking himself completely off guard and closing the window before the song even had a chance to finish. He couldn't watch that, now.

Pushing away from his desk and leaving his room, he decided to go in search for the man himself. He knew he must've been around, seeing as Kurt was ready to burn him into the ground whenever he wasn't with him, but wasn't ready for it when he found him sitting alone in the piano room. He pushed the door open with a slight feel of unease, a nervous smile plastered on his face when he caught Blaine's eyes. There was something wrong about it – Blaine Anderson sitting at a piano and not playing it, not singing anything and wearing sadness that looked so empty it somehow sucked out the emotion in his eyes rather than being there. Sebastian didn't even bother to ask if he was okay.

"You know you're much prettier when you smile," Sebastian said, obviously just trying to cheer Blaine up and earning a half-hearted laugh they made his heart drop slightly. "What's bugging you, Killer?"

Blaine shook his head, and another empty laugh escaped him but the smile seemed a little more genuine. Sebastian felt weirdly like he was making some kind of progress just by being there, but quickly dismissed that thought when he realised how vain that seemed.

"I told you, you can talk to me."

"I know, Bastian. Thanks. I guess I just... Don't know what to do with myself."

Sebastian looked at him for a moment, looking a little bit disappointed – for a moment, he thought Blaine was really going to confide in him, and he recognised the false problem straight away but didn't press it. Besides, it wasn't like he was ready to admit his own darker side of the story, yet.

"Well, perhaps you're in luck," Sebastian said. "I was looking for you. I wondered if you could do me a favour?"

"Anything," Blaine smiled, though his heart still didn't seem in it.

"I… I told my aunt about you," Sebastian begun, not really sure how his story was going to play out. "She's a real music lover, so I had to tell her about you. And I told her how great you are at playing the piano and singing, and there's a chance I bigged you up too much because she started not believing me." He chuckled slightly, as if he was fondly remembering. "So… Could I record you playing something? I don't mind what you sing. Whatever you feel like."

Blaine looked at him for a moment, almost seeming exhausted, but before Sebastian could back pedal, he spoke. "I'll do it," he said, smiling a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You sure?" Sebastian asked, earning a nod in reply. He nodded back, trying to keep the worry out of his face as he fondled with his iPhone before setting it on video. He pressed record and gave Blaine a thumbs up, and Blaine immediately started. The song he'd chosen was Payphone by Maroon 5, but it sounded completely different on piano and how Blaine was singing it. Sebastian suddenly wanted to stop recording, almost scared by the power in Blaine's voice at the complexities across his face, but nonetheless, he sounded amazing. It was as though the emotion that couldn't find its way out had burst through a new found set of doors, pouring into the song and giving such an outcome it almost hurt to listen to. Sebastian found himself slowly starting to understand, or at least, he thought he did. The lyrics, although perhaps not exactly what Blaine was experiencing, depicted a relationship that was falling apart. He found no satisfaction in the realisation, though. Not if it meant having to watch Blaine fall apart, too, and after a piano break where the rapping in the song usually was, Blaine's voice was off and pained, breaking up by the tears making their way to his eyes and finally stopping when Sebastian sat next to him and put his hand over Blaine's. He'd stopped recording, of course, and now they were sat in silence, Blaine's eyes locked on the piano while tears continued to form. Sebastian hooked a finger under his chin, lifting his head to meet his gaze and trying to read what was behind those eyes whilst conveying all the care he was capable of. It was strange, considering people never found their way into Sebastian's heart, but Blaine was beginning to bury deep under his skin and it was almost completely slipping past him. For now, it was enough to just look at him, be there for him, and Blaine knew that. He could see the warmth in Sebastian's eyes. He could see there was someone for him to go to.

"Blaine," Sebastian said softly, and that was all it took for the smaller boy to wrap his arms around him and rest his head in the crook of his neck, not sobbing straight away but the tears came quick enough. Unconsciously, his hold on Sebastian got tighter, and Sebastian tried his best to hold him back as comfortingly as possible so Blaine knew it was ok. They didn't speak at all, not once – Blaine just cried and Sebastian just held him, his eyes fluttering shut as he let himself get lost in the feel of holding Blaine in his arms. He didn't deserve to cry. Especially like this. And if the song was any indication, Sebastian knew Kurt was to blame.

After however long, Blaine's tears subsided, and they ended up just staying like that a little while longer. It seemed a little different, then, and Sebastian was very aware of the change even though nothing much had changed at all. He was almost disappointed when Blaine pulled away, but seeing something back in his eyes and the tiny smile that was genuine, he didn't mind so much.

"I'm really glad you're here," Blaine said, reaching out and squeezing Sebastian's hand. Sebastian wanted to say something witty, something needlessly flirty or just teasing that would make him feel a little more comfortable in the situation, but he couldn't. He just looked back at Blaine and prayed to whatever higher power that the blush on his face wasn't obvious, his hand falling limp as Blaine let it go and held his gaze just a second longer before getting up and leaving the room. Sebastian let go of the breath he was holding.

* * *

It was the afternoon Sebastian was getting to see the Warblers, and Sebastian couldn't stop smiling. The sun was beating down on his car as he headed to Nick's house, air con on full blast and empty roads that allowed him to speed down, but really, these were all just simple pleasantries – what really got him smiling was Blaine in the seat next to him, clearly trying to play it cool but with an unmistakable buzz of excitement about him. It was the little things Sebastian had picked up on; how the smile on Blaine's face hadn't faded since he'd seem him that morning, how his eyes seemed physically brighter with glee and how his hands just couldn't stop fidgeting. But more than that, it was the quick, grateful glances Blaine kept throwing his way. The first few times Sebastian just smiled, pretending like his heart didn't swell slightly at the incredibly happy and thankful look on Blaine's face, but now he wasn't able to ignore the effect it was having on him. He figured he simply wasn't used to this – no one was ever particularly thankful for him.

"You seem happy," Sebastian finally said, after catching Blaine's eye another time. The other boy simply chuckled, biting his lip and Sebastian could just imagine he was containing a squeal.

"I'm excited," Blaine replied, rather bashfully as if he was giving away just how much of an understatement that was. "It's been ages since I've hung out with those guys. And Nick's house is _awesome_."

"Come on, Nick doesn't have a house. He has a baby palace," Sebastian teased, smiling wider at Blaine's genuine, hearty laugh.

"I can still remember how hard it was for Nick to talk about his home life, just because it usually involved his maid or his nanny and we'd never stop teasing him."

"He's accepted the name Lord Duval, now."

"About time," Blaine grinned, shaking his head. He bit his lip again, and Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're not fooling anyone, Anderson," he said, taking his eyes off the road for a moment to raise an eyebrow at him. "Your excitement is bubbling so vividly under your skin I'm honestly worried you'll come up in some kind of burn."

Blaine laughed. "If I let out my actual level of excitement, I'm pretty sure people will be at risk."

"Well, I'm the only people around," Sebastian pointed out. "I don't mind."

Blaine just looked at him again, and it was there – that same grateful, almost awestruck expression on his face, but there was a hint of something else this time. Some kind of sadness. Sebastian frowned, suddenly at the hand of utter confusion as to what could have caused the small hint of sorrow, but on catching Blaine run a hand over his gelled hair to check it in place and cross his arms over his chest, it suddenly struck him how composed Blaine strived to be. He bit his lip, glancing at Blaine and feeling his mind tick. He wanted to see him just let go, have a good time. This was their day, after all. He was more concerned about Blaine having a good time than he was for himself.

Acting purely on chance, Sebastian flicked through the iPod that was already plugged in and began searching for a song while trying his best to keep an eye on the road. He could feel Blaine watching him, but didn't acknowledge it – just kept going through the songs until finally, he found one appropriate to what he thought was affecting Blaine. He selected it, meeting Blaine's eye with a small smile.

"Sing," he said. Blaine just looked back at him, confused. "I know you know it. It was in the charts long enough to get irritating after a while."

Blaine grinned at that, before smoothly transitioning into singing the selected song - Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap. He started relatively conserved, but as soon as the singer sung harder in the song, so did he, and Sebastian was sure he'd never heard Blaine sound so incredible. He allowed himself to join in on the chorus, just backing Blaine so he could take on the more powerful notes that would no doubt liberate him further. His eyes closed as he got more into the song, and Sebastian could basically see him unravelling in front of his eyes. Music was Blaine's place, there was no doubt about that, and definitely somewhere he could get lost in anyway – but by the way Blaine was almost putting on the performance of his emotional struggle as he absorbed the lyrics, he knew he was taking them to heart. He looked stunned when the music finished, and Sebastian smiled triumphantly.

"Better?" he asked, turning down a narrower road. Blaine looked at him for a long moment, as though he was trying to work something out, before smiling and nodding.

"Thanks," he said, still sounding surprised.

"Don't mention it, Killer." Blaine looked like he was going to say more, but his eye line was suddenly drawn as they caught site of the large, sandy coloured mansion Nick called home. An enthusiastic gasp escaped Blaine, his eyes and grin comically wide, and he looked ready to jump out of the still moving car and sprint to the Duval's front door. Sebastian didn't need to look at him to know he was excited, driving a little further down the lane before parking the car and turning to Blaine.

"You ready?" he asked. Blaine didn't even grant Sebastian with a reply before running out the car, allowing Sebastian to laugh to himself before following.

Blaine was totally overwhelmed.

He had little time to absorb the atmosphere before he was being piled onto by a load of Warblers, all talking at once and hugging him so tight he was sure he was on the verge of passing out. They were all there – Nick, Jeff, Flint, Thad, Trent, David… Even Wes made an appearance. "How could I pass up when I knew you were coming?" he'd said, and Blaine could only laugh in reply because physical words just weren't possible in that moment. He found himself being lead out into the garden, where a few of them dispersed momentarily just to get food from the barbecue, but Blaine was still left with Nick, Trent and David. And, of course, Sebastian.

"We missed you so much," Trent said, possibly for the seventh time. Blaine nudged Sebastian in the ribs when he rolled his eyes, still incredibly touched by the attention he was getting.

"I missed you guys, too," Blaine replied, not missing Sebastian raising his eyebrows.

"I would never have guessed," he jibbed, throwing a teasing smile at Blaine. "I mean, wow, Blaine, you could've _said _something…"

"Hey!" Blaine protested. "I didn't talk about it that much!"

"Literally _every time I spoke about-_"

"Well the fact never changed whenever they were brought up so-"

"God, really? I wouldn't have had the faintest clue-"

"You can't use sarcasm _twice _that's not how this works-"

"_I miss those guys soooo muuuuch-_"

"I do not sound like that!"

The sounds of Nick and Jeff's giggling cut them off, and as they turned to look at them the two best friends put on their best fake-innocent faces before Jeff threw a wink at Sebastian, and the two of them were off again. Sebastian was clued in straight away, raising his eyebrows before looking back at Blaine and seeing he appeared to be none the wiser. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly, and his heart warmed when Blaine chuckled with him.

"I've never really got those guys," Blaine said, looking over and Nick and Jeff as the two of them made their way over to the pool. "I wouldn't be surprised if they had a literal telepathic connection."

"Nick and Jeff?" Sebastian asked, following Blaine's eye line. "Yeah, they're clearly in love."

"They _so are!_"

"And yet they never fail to deny it every time."

"Still?" Blaine asked, looking back at Sebastian and seeming genuinely saddened. Sebastian smiled, hoping it would somehow stop the disappointed look on Blaine's face.

"Yeah. I mean, Jeff came out of the closet, and I think he was kinda hoping Nick would follow, but… Well, Nick's got a lot to lose."

"Maybe they're already together," Blaine said, watching as the two boys in question sat with their feet dangling in the water. "Just, in secret."

"I kinda hope so," Sebastian smiled.

"Or maybe we just got it wrong and their love is in a purely platonic way."

"No," Sebastian laughed. "It's not. It's definitely not."

"Hmm?" Blaine pressed.

"Well, I was their when Jeff had the sex dream. And when Nick had the drunk ramble about how he's not gay but Jeff's just different, which he denies to this day. Well, sort of denies. He just goes quiet when I bring it up. Why are you smiling like that?" he asked, watching as Blaine chuckled and shook his head like he almost couldn't believe what was happening.

"Because Nick and Jeff are gonna get married and have each other's adopted babies and I'm gonna see it happen. You know, we'll be able to make toasts at their wedding and we can talk about this very moment. And we can even talk about how we talked about talking about this very moment. It's like toastception."

"Toastception?" Sebastian laughed, and Blaine shrugged, blushing a little.

"You won't be questioning it when it happens," he replied, talking in an all-knowing tone of voice. Sebastian tilted his head, resting his hand on Blaine's shoulder for a moment before dropping it again. It was amazing how they could talk like this, like they'd known each other for years.

"Okay, I have a question for you. A perfectly sincere question. You can't laugh at me, I'm nervous."

Blaine bit the inside of his lip but played along, not missing the dramatics of how Sebastian was now presenting himself.

"Go ahead."

"Blaine Anderson. Will you be my date to Nick and Jeff's inevitable wedding?"

Blaine was still for a moment, a bare second where he seemed to be literally deliberating an answer to that question before he remembered the playfulness and cracked a smile, taking Sebastian's hand in his own.

"I would be completely and sincerely honoured," he replied with a slight nod of his head. Sebastian's smile grew, though Blaine didn't know that part of it was due to how just him taking his hand had caused the taller boy a minor spell of light-headedness. Sebastian was sure the heat was getting to him.

"Good," Sebastian smiled. "And you won't stand me up?"

"No."

"Cool. Then you'll have to forgive me for this."

"What?"

Sebastian's smile grew even wider, and Blaine realised just a little too late what he was about to do as his arms wound around his middle and he was flung over Sebastian's shoulder, helplessly yelling while Sebastian laughed and ran towards the pool. The last thing either of them heard were the cheers of the Warblers before Sebastian jumped in, throwing them both into the cool water. He found the surface before Blaine did, taking in deep gasps of breath before laughing as the other boy's head popped out the water.

"My hair!" Blaine cried to Sebastian's great amusement, watching the taller boy lost in uncontrollable laughter while he splashed him only to get a bigger splash back. They found themselves in a full water fight, Thad and David squirting them from the ground with water pistols leaving Sebastian and Blaine to join forces against them, and Nick and Jeff watched while Sebastian lifted Blaine at the waist so he could kick water at their competitors.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Jeff grinned, unable to tear his eyes away. "Is this really Sebastian?"

"I'm torn between proud mother duck and teasing school boy right now," Nick replied. He was suddenly witnessing Sebastian off-guard, Blaine focusing on pulling Thad into the water now. Sebastian seemed under the impression that no one could see him, and just for a moment, he was watching something completely brand new on Sebastian's face. His smile was soft and his eyes were thoughtful, and, most importantly of all, they were absolutely trained on Blaine. Nick's own heart felt for the way he was looking at him, hypnotised by the rare emotion on Sebastian's face but also feeling something akin to worry for him. Sebastian was never like this – never one to fall so blindly and quickly. Nick knew him to be careful and guarded, and he wondered what was so different about Blaine that had Sebastian enchanted, watching him like that just like a foolish dreamer. As soon as Blaine turned to Sebastian, though, the expression was gone from his face, the smile replaced with a grin while he went back to splashing Blaine (which caused a very dramatic shout of "I thought you were on my side!"). Nick turned to Jeff, and Jeff met his gaze with a frown as he registered the worry on his best friend's face.

"Why'd it have to be Blaine?" Nick asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Blaine would never fall for him. Blaine's with _Kurt. _Kurt's about as anti-Sebastian as you can get."

"So?"

"So Seb's gonna get hurt."

"Blaine doesn't have to like someone exactly like Kurt. Sure, he's with him, but that doesn't stop people from liking other people. And if you just watch Seb and him together… I mean, did you see the way Blaine kept looking at him, earlier? If there was a way of gushing without words, it's that look."

"Maybe so, but he loves Kurt. Nothing's gonna happen. The first guy Bastian falls for, and he's gonna be heart broken."

"Ten bucks says they'll kiss tonight." Jeff said, the certainty in his voice almost scaring Nick.

"Blaine has a boyfriend, Jeffy…"

"Ten. Bucks."

"Fine," Nick shrugged, taking Jeff's outstretched hand and shaking it. "You're on."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So I was thinking about splitting this chapter into two because it's longer, but I think it works better as just one, so here you go!I would like give a quick thank you to my lovely Megan and Hannah for reading over this and helping, I would be helpless without them! Enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 9**

Blaine was exhausted. It was already about 9pm, dusk closing in on them when it felt like he'd only arrived mere minutes ago, but nonetheless, he needed to step out of the action. The day had been filled with nothing but excitement and fun, and he was sure he hadn't felt so elated in a long time. The Warblers were more than his friends – they were where he belonged, and a nervous smile grew on his face when he decided for sure what had been playing on his mind for a while, now; he was going to transfer back for his last year. And, catching Sebastian's eye, he had no doubts it was going to be his greatest year so far.

The rest of the Warblers were indulging in a few beers. Jeff, Thad and David were attempting to light the paper lanterns they had while the others were crowded around Sebastian, engrossed in a story he was telling them with complete, unadulterated attention. Blaine found himself giving him the same attention, but not for the same reasons; it became evident to him that this day wasn't just good for him, but for Sebastian, too. He'd never seen him smile so much, or heard him crack so many jokes, or laugh so loudly. It was unfortunate how grim the small amount of time they'd previously had with each other had been when there was such an open, happy side to Sebastian that Blaine really wanted to see more of. His heart skipped a beat whenever he saw that fully blown, toothy grin, even more so when that smile was directed at him.

There were moments when he forgot the other warblers were even there, so lost in this new side to Sebastian, and as hazel eyes met green again, he wasn't even aware he was caught in a moment until his phone vibrating in his pocket shocked him out of his stupor. When he took it out, he felt his heart drop slightly – it was Kurt.

He was hesitant, and he could feel Sebastian's eyes watching him as he deliberated taking the call. Things had been getting weirder and weirder between him and Kurt, and now he was calling him, he couldn't help think he was checking up on him. He sighed, touching the answer button and avoiding Sebastian's gaze in the hope he'd be proven wrong.

"Kurt?"

"Blaine!" Kurt's voice shrieked, and Blaine was sure he could hear some music coming from somewhere in the background. "Blaine, it's me!"

"I know," Blaine chuckled, although he felt uneasy. If he wasn't mistaken – and he really hoped he was – Kurt was drunk. "Where are you?"

"I am at… Mercedes's!" Kurt said, a bit too delightedly. "I'm with my home gurrrrl! It is _awesome _here, Blaine. Awesome."

"Great," Blaine smiled, feeling his hopes pick up. "Did you want me to come over? I can leave early."

"…Nooo, honey, you don't have to do that," Kurt said, his voice sounding strange and deliberate. "No no, it's just… It's a girls night."

"Oh."

"'m really sorry, kay? You forgive me?"

"Kurt…"

"And now you get to spend more time with those warbler friends of yours! And my half-brother."

"He has a name, Kurt," Blaine snapped.

"Sorry," Kurt laughed. "My brother, the small Jamaican crab."

"I don't get it. Sebastian hasn't done anything bad to you since he got here, why do you have to speak so-"

"Anyway, Blaine, all I wanted to tell you is that – well, don't come home tonight. To _my _home, I mean. Because I won't be there."

Blaine stayed silent for a moment, the frown on his face turning from pure frustration to mixed in sorrow. There it was again – the weird feeling that he'd been trying to deny this whole time, a feeling that was getting stronger and stronger. Kurt was ruining his night. His amazing day with the warblers, and his boyfriend had to remind him how things were between them. That weird feeling that left Blaine feeling as though he was tilting over a cliff edge, blind.

"You got it," he finally said quietly, trying to ignore the voices in the background that meant Kurt was clearly not taking this as seriously as him as he giggled with them and told them to 'shhh!'.

"Great," Kurt smiled. "I'll see you some other time, then?"

"Mhmm. Good night, Kurt."

"Love you!"

"Love you."

He stared down at his phone even after the call had ended, the faces of himself and Kurt looking up at him from his wallpaper. The picture wasn't new, not at all – it had been taken last summer, during Blaine's birthday, when he and Kurt had gone all out and visited Disneyworld. It was the only time he could convince Kurt to wear something on his perfectly styled head, and the picture of himself with whiskers while Kurt wore a pair of Mickey Mouse ears usually never failed to make him smile. But now, he was just frustrated. Something was changing, and he had no idea what.

"Cute photo."

Blaine looked up to catch the concerned eyes of Sebastian, and he immediately felt guilty. This day wasn't meant to be troubled, not at all, and he was completely relishing in the carefree side he hadn't yet seen in Sebastian until now. He sighed, nodding and putting the phone back in his pocket.

"That was Kurt," Blaine explained. "He was just telling me he was at Mercedes's tonight, so I shouldn't come back. Not that I was going to, but… He was drunk." He sighed. "Kurt… he just doesn't do that. At least, not with me."

Sebastian pursed his lips, and Blaine noticed something almost aggressive flash across his expression, but it was gone as quick as it came. "Forget about him," Sebastian said. "Just for now. We can have more fun than him, Killer."

"Yeah?" Blaine chuckled, smiling fondly at him as he tried his hardest to put his troubles behind him.

"Yeah," he grinned. "None of us are going home tonight."

"That sounds awfully suggestive."

"Oh?" Sebastian perked up, raising his eyebrows. "You should tell me more about what I'm suggesting."

Blaine bit his lip and blushed, a small, nervous chuckle escaping him as he turned his head away. Sebastian's smile widened, hooking a finger under Blaine's chin and turning him back to face him. His heart swelled at how adorably bashful he was.

"_Tu es mignon,_" he told him, to which Blaine could only give a small frown of confusion and a tilt of his head. Sebastian let the moment linger on a little longer, looking into Blaine's eyes and loving how he could almost see the confusion running behind his careful composure. "It means you're cute."

"You think I'm cute?"

"As a button," Sebastian nodded, not missing the warmth in Blaine's smile even as his cheeks got redder. "But you know, calling you cute could mean more."

"Hmm?" Blaine asked, but Sebastian just smiled at him in a way that told him he wasn't going to elaborate.

"C'mon, cutie. We've still got the whole night ahead of us." He stood up and offered a hand to help Blaine up, not missing how he seemed to hold on a bit too long before letting go. They wandered over to the rest of the Warblers, and Sebastian couldn't help but notice Jeff nonchalantly looking their way while Blaine appeared none the wiser. He looked over at him and raised an eyebrow, but Jeff just smirked, and Sebastian frowned. He was suddenly paranoid of the blonde warbler being up to something.

"Are neither of you drinking?" Nick asked, holding out a couple of beers to them. "My brother bought these for us, so you can help yourselves. I don't want you feeling left out."

"I'm good," Blaine smiled, taking a step back as though the alcohol was threatening him.

"Is this because of-"

"Nick," Blaine said, cutting him off. "I'm fine."

Sebastian couldn't help but look at him confused, turning down Nick's offer as well and waiting for him to walk away before addressing Blaine.

"What was that about?" he asked. Blaine suddenly looked uncomfortable, his hands in his pockets and his expression full of defence.

"Nothing," he said quickly, but Sebastian just raised his eyebrows and Blaine sighed. "Fine. The last time I got… drunk, I… I made out with a girl."

"Drinking makes you straighter?" Sebastian quipped. Blaine had to suppress a chuckle.

"Not exactly."

Before Blaine could explain, David appeared between them, laughing uncontrollably and slinging his arms around the pair. Wes was close behind him, apparently holding both their beers and seeming perfectly calm despite his alcohol intake.

"I hear you're not drinking, Sebby," David grinned, before turning to Blaine. "It's probably just as well, you know. Hey, Seb! Remember the last time you got so drunk that you forgot how to speak English?"

"I didn't forget," Sebastian snapped playfully. "I just… could only form French words."

"He was great, Blaine," David mumbled, as though he thought no one could hear him. "He was all, _je suis Sebastian et j'aime le pantalon du le cheval!_"

"I definitely didn't say anything about the horse's pants."

"Oh, like you remember," David retorted, the grin never leaving his face. "You shoulda been there, Blaine, man. Promise you'll see us more. _Promise._"

"I can do one better than that," Blaine grinned, not missing the sudden hopefulness in Sebastian's stance. "Actually, I think everyone needs to hear this."

"HEY!" David yelled without warning, Blaine hissing in pain as the other boy used him for leverage despite really not needing it. "HEY, YOU GUYS! BLAINE'S GONNA TELL US SOMETHING!"

"You're on a 12 step programme for your hair gel addiction?" Trent asked, leading the rest of them over with a big grin on his face. Blaine shook his head fondly, though subconsciously patted his hair down before speaking again.

"I have decided, after much consideration, that I, Blaine Devon Anderson-"

"Are you proposing to us?"

"Not quite," Blaine grinned. "I'm moving back to Dalton!"

A collaborative cheer emitted from each of the Warblers, all of them rushing forward to hug Blaine in joy while the boy in question just laughed happily. There was a small voice in the back of his head telling him Kurt wasn't going to be happy, especially since he made the decision without so much as mentioning it to him – but New York was were Kurt so allegedly belonged, and Blaine was going where he belonged, too, no longer in a place where he could trade in composure and what other people expected of him for his own happiness.

* * *

Later on that evening, the majority of the warblers were definitely bordering drunkenness. Nick's sister had come out to pay them a visit, something the group had gotten particularly excited about considering that for all the brains in her head, she had a part time gig modelling for various glossy magazines, and now that she had decided to stick around Jeff declared a game of truth of dare. He knew, along with many of the others, that there wasn't much Lucy Duval wouldn't do, and so, much to Nick's disapproval, she joined them.

The game started off rather typically – the bottle was spun and the question was asked, the more reserved candidates choosing truth while those who felt they had something to prove went for dare. They were nothing short of adventurous when it came to dares, though, and in no time, the bigger guns were pulled out – two of them having to kiss for a certain amount of time, or stupid amounts of drink had to be chugged. Wes even got dared to give Lucy a lap dance, which as it turned out in his drunken state, he wasn't even bad at. Blaine was sat tightly next to Sebastian, being the same level of sober as he had been to begin with but wasn't stopped from roaring with laughter along with the rest of them, quickly learning that Sebastian's shoulder was at a good height for leaning on. He was almost irritated when the bottle finally landed on him, pulling himself away to sit up straight.

"Truth or dare?" Jeff asked, and Blaine ignored the something in his voice that was trying to tempt him to choose the latter.

"Truth," Blaine replied, almost overconfidently. Jeff sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Fiiiiiine. If you could kiss anyone in this circle, who would it be?"

Blaine's eyes narrowed, suddenly very subconscious. He knew, just as well as Jeff did, what the answer to that question was, even if he wasn't ready to admit it to himself, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to look to his right. He could almost sense the tension in Sebastian's body.

"Why, of course it would be the lovely Lucy," Blaine told them in his all-too charming way. Lucy smiled, bowing her head slightly while Jeff tried to feign not caring.

"I get all the gays," Lucy remarked, winking at Blaine. "Everyone makes an exception for Lucy."

"Please stop talking," Nick mumbled, his eyes closed and his forefingers pressed firmly into his temples. David and Flint were laughing loudly, obviously enjoying Nick's discomfort but Blaine couldn't help but think it also had more to do with the two of them taking quite a liking to Nick's sister. Lucy smirked, reaching forward to spin the bottle and grinning wider when it landed on Sebastian.

"Sebastian," she chimed, "my favourite Warbler. Don't you let me down. Truth or dare?"

"Did you even have to ask?" Sebastian grinned, his smile so familiar with her that Blaine got the sense they'd spent much more time around each other.

"Sebastian Smythe. I dare you… to…" she bit her lip, and Sebastian only cocked an eyebrow. "Make out with whoever the bottle lands on next for half a minute. With tongue."

"A kissing dare? What happened to you, Lucy?" Sebastian teased, earning a conceited raise of the eyebrow from the girl in question.

"Fine," Lucy said, and there wasn't one person in the circle who wasn't sure Lucy would go all out for Sebastian's dare. "The next person this lands on, you have to successfully seduce. And by that I mean so they're standing to attention. Got it, Smythe? And no kissing."

"'Standing to attention'?" Sebastian smirked. "Since when did you take care not to sound so perverse, Lucy?"

"Blaine's in the circle. I don't want to ruin his innocence."

Sebastian chuckled, but the small shoulder bump he gave Blaine proved to him that Sebastian didn't share that sentiment. He looked up, and something in Sebastian's gaze warmed his heart. He'd almost completely forgotten about the dare.

"You ready, Smythe?"

Sebastian tore his gaze away from Blaine, looking at Lucy with his confident, trademark smirk. "Always have been, girl-Duval."

"We'll see." With that, and a cheeky smile, she leaned forward to spin the bottle again, and as Blaine thought about what Sebastian had been told to do, he felt himself grow more and more anxious. However, he couldn't work out if it was because he wanted the bottle to land on him, or because he was wary of it – but for a split second, he was sure that when the bottle finally stopped, it had stopped on him. Time stood still, his eyes fixed on the bottle and not daring to look at Sebastian.

Until Lucy's teasing, amused voice announced, "Nicky, Nicky, Nicky."

"Guess we're about to see just how straight you really are," Sebastian teased, winking at Nick who was glaring at the bottle as though it had betrayed him.

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"No," Lucy and Sebastian said at the same time, and Blaine couldn't help but notice Nick cringe. He guessed no one would be particularly comfortable in that situation, especially if your sibling was there to see it, but if he wasn't mistaken, that wasn't the main problem. He looked around the circle, eyes catching Jeff's and was surprised to see the blonde looking almost repulsed, like he could throw up any second. He wanted to say something, but all he could do was shuffle slightly to his right while Sebastian approached Nick. The game continued behind them, David's quiet giggling with Flint creating an ease in the atmosphere, but as much as he acted like he didn't care for what was going on next to him, he couldn't help shift his attention. He knew he wasn't the only one, as Jeff continued to look like he'd eaten something vile and was watching Sebastian like a hawk.

Sebastian was kneeling dead in front of Nick, leaving no space between them. Blaine wasn't sure what he'd expected him to do, but he was perplexed at how Sebastian was merely muttering into his ear, his hands slowly trailing down Nick's sides. His eyes were closed softly, and he looked so content he could've been retelling a bed time story, but seeing the way Nick's hands were balled into tight fists, he was sure that was far from the truth. Curiosity getting the better of him, Blaine did his best to discreetly shift closer, straining his ears and trying to block everything else out in order to hear. The first thing he noticed, of all things, was that Sebastian was talking in third person. But then he started paying attention to what he was saying, and despite feeling intrusive, he couldn't turn away.

"I bet you'd want him to dominate you, wouldn't you, Nicky_?" _He was saying. "You spend a lot of time around here telling other people what to do, but he could tell you to do anything, and you'd do it, wouldn't you? You'd do anything for him." Blaine's eyes flickered to Sebastian's hands, now reaching Nick's hips and pushing his shirt up. He wondered if Nick was even aware how he was holding tightly to the back of Sebastian's shirt, his own eyes closed and his expression deliberately neutral. "He'd know exactly what to do to make you feel good. You know he's thought about it, Nick. He'll be all alone in his bed, and all he'd have to do is think of the things he wants to do to you. You can already see it, can't you? Wrapping his own hand around his dick and moaning your name… He can make himself come just at the thought of you. But you know he'd much rather have you sprawled out underneath him." Blaine swallowed, wishing he could stop listening but found it near impossible. He'd never heard anyone speak like this, and, aside from his mouth running dry and his jeans starting to feel rather tight, he wasn't really sure how to feel about it. However, if he wasn't mistaken, jealousy played a huge part. Aside from the obvious. "I bet he wouldn't be shy about leaving marks all over your naked body," Sebastian continued, and Nick hid his face against his shoulder. "He'd know exactly what to do to make you fall apart. You'll be begging him, Nick. You'd love that, wouldn't you? Imagine how pretty he'd look with your cock in his mouth."

"Sebastian," Nick gasped, and Blaine turned his head just in time to see Sebastian's hand cupping Nick's crotch. He winked at him, and Nick just glared, but couldn't say any more. Sebastian had won the dare.

"I can help you out with that, if you want," Sebastian teased, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss against Nick's lips before moving away. Nick was left with his eyes on the ground, his face flaring red and biting into his lip so hard, it was a wonder he wasn't drawing blood. Blaine rested his hands in his lap, avoiding Sebastian's eye for the moment while he tried his best to calm down. It was only then he became aware of Jeff, his expression oddly vacant and his knees pulled up to his chest. From years of knowing him, he was vaguely familiar with his closed off tendencies, and he was thinking of getting up to talk to him when Sebastian's voice was suddenly in his ear.

"You need to work on your eavesdropping, Anderson," he murmured, and Blaine could almost hear the smirk in his voice. He swallowed, clearing his throat in the hope it wouldn't be obvious just how much his eavesdropping had affected him.

"That was quite the picture you painted," Blaine said, relaxing after hearing his voice sounded normal. "Nick looks positively traumatised."

"How about you?" Sebastian asked. "You know, you're not as discreet as you think." His eyes dropped down to where Blaine's hands were still placed strategically before meeting his gaze again, and Blaine sighed, folding his arms before quickly replacing his hands back to where they originally were.

"If you could've heard you, you would be the same," Blaine muttered, looking away. Sebastian bumped his shoulder again, as if subtly asking him not to ignore him. When Blaine met his gaze again, he noticed Sebastian's expression had softened, and he suddenly felt much more relaxed.

"I'm flattered," Sebastian smiled. "I'd rather this reaction than you turning your nose up at me or something. And hey, if you really think that, you could always give me a go," he teased. Blaine chuckled.

"I can't say I'm as gifted with words as you," he replied. He watched Sebastian's face carefully, half expecting him to come back at him with another clever quip but found himself faced instead with grateful honesty. He tilted his head, analysing the small smile on Sebastian's lips that kept growing and softening, the way his eyes seemed deep in thought. He nudged against him softly, silently asking what was up. Sebastian met his gaze with a grin that was almost bashful.

"Okay, I've gotta be honest" he finally said. "I was really worried what you would do when you were faced with… Well, me."

"…I'm not following," Blaine admitted, and Sebastian scratched the back of his neck before drawing a deep breath.

"I have a reputation," he began. "I reputation that… It's fair to say I generally live up to. I go to bars, I flirt like it's my job… And I'm pretty sure I've hooked up with over half the gay population of Westerville."

Blaine looked at him for a moment, processing the information and suddenly feeling sad. He, personally, couldn't imagine that life style – he was the type of person that was purely like that for that one person. But then again, it was no secret to him that he somewhat differed from a lot of other people.

"Does that make you happy?" he asked, perfectly innocently.

"It's fun," Sebastian shrugged, but Blaine knew there was something more he wanted to say.

"But?" Blaine asked. Sebastian looked ahead of himself, shrugging again and fiddling with his hands in his lap.

"Sometimes… It just feels like there's something missing. That's all."

Blaine smiled understandingly, but it went missed by Sebastian. "You'll find it soon, Bastian."

It was then Sebastian turned to look at him, and something unknown clicked in the back of Blaine's brain. For whatever reason, he reached out to squeeze Sebastian's shoulder, but the expression on the other boy's face didn't change – there was a small spark in his eye, a hint of a smile, though the tips of his lips were barely curled. Blaine couldn't break the gaze, could barely remember what he'd just said, but he knew it was important. He released his shoulder from his grasp gently, and finally Sebastian gave him a smile that he could understand, and he was quickly smiling, too – it was like he'd come up for air after swimming deep underwater.

"I like it when you call me that," Sebastian murmured, his quiet tone of voice making Blaine feel like he was being let in on a secret.

"I'm not the only one who says it," Blaine pointed out.

"True," he agreed. "But I like it more when you say it."

Blaine's smile grew, and he had to press his lips together to stop himself from laughing purely of glee. He felt really silly, almost like a child – but it'd been a long time since he'd felt like that. He didn't say anything in return – just shuffled closer and leant his head back against Sebastian's shoulder, sighing happily and closing his eyes for a moment.

But in doing so, he missed the way Sebastian's hand reached out, just for a moment, with the intention of taking Blaine's into his own.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey! Hope you all had a good Christmas! This chapter was kinda hard to write because what happens at the beginning was originally meant to be at the end of the last chapter, but I really liked how the last chapter ended so this happened instead :P Hope you enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 10**

Sebastian was sat alone in the room full of sleeping warblers, staring down at the phone in his lap. They'd all crowded into Nick's needlessly large bedroom, passed out in various positions that Sebastian would find amusing if it hadn't been for recent events. He moved his gaze over to Blaine, watching him sound asleep and none the wiser to what Sebastian recently had to endure. Just a few hours ago, he and Blaine had been the last ones awake, having tended to giving a pillow and a blanket to each of the passed out boys after much convincing from Blaine. Afterwards, they had stayed up for ages, talking in hushed voices about nothing in particular but Sebastian felt incredibly close to Blaine. It really had been their day, and as they lay down to finally get some sleep, Sebastian found himself recalling little things and was unable to stop smiling.

Until the phone rang.

Half asleep, Sebastian hadn't thought twice about reaching over and answering the phone. It hadn't occurred to him that the phone was slightly bigger, that it wasn't answering the call at first because he was doing it wrong… Perhaps if he'd paid attention to the caller i.d, he'd at least have stopped to think. But he didn't. And so, eyes still closed and phone to his ear, there was no bracing him for what he was about to be hearing.

It was muffled noise, at first. Sebastian knew straight away it was just a pocket dial, and was ready to hang up - until he heard a breathy "_oh_" from the other end of the phone. Finally, he sat up, a frown crumpling his expression that had been so peaceful before. The person moaned again, but other than that the only clear sounds were two people heavily breathing and moving together. Sebastian would've found it amusing, but there was something queasily familiar about the voice he'd heard, and he couldn't quite wrap his head around it until another, deeper voice whimpered out the only name he didn't want to hear –

"_Kurt._"

The colour drained from his face, so shocked he had to physically slap a hand over his mouth which was now hanging open. He carried on listening, needing to hear that he was wrong about this – that this wasn't some kind of audio proof of what he'd been suspecting all along. His eyes were wide in terror, not able to look at Blaine knowing he was sound asleep and happy while his boyfriend was _cheating _on him. He felt sick. Sure, he'd been that other guy a few times that made someone cheat on their boyfriend, but this was different. So much different. This was the guy Blaine loved. But now, this was also the guy moaning a different name that certainly wasn't his boyfriend's.

Hearing the unmistakable noise of an orgasm, Sebastian shut off the phone – and what made it worse was that Kurt had dialled Blaine's phone by accident, not his - throwing it down and not touching it, like an insect that you weren't sure was poisonous. There, he sat for what felt like hours, hand over his mouth and eyes barely leaving the object that was terrorising his mind. He didn't know what to do. He felt like Blaine should know – he _deserved _to know – but what evidence did he have to tell him with? This would devastate someone like Blaine. He'd seen it before, the effect this had – how it tore couples apart, but not just the two from each other. It tore them up, too, and he didn't think he could stand seeing Blaine like that. He deserved so much better.

His eyes shifted to the sleeping boy, and he sighed sadly. He'd heard how people could be a whole other kind of beautiful while they slept, but he'd never seen it until now. Even in the dim light, he could make out Blaine's thick, long eyelashes, delicately shutting out the rest of the world while he dreamed whatever it was that Blaine Anderson dreamt of. Sebastian found himself wondering, as he continued to drink in the sight of the sleeping boy. In one way, he felt intrusive – but he also felt weirdly protective of Blaine, never again wanting to see tears caught in those ridiculously long eyelashes. He had to accept it, now. He'd done something he never thought he'd do, never even dreamt of doing – he'd let Blaine in. He trusted him, and greatly wanted to gain the other boy's trust in return. He wanted to protect him, and smile with him, and know that he was the reason for the smile on his face. He knew, because looking at him so peaceful and ignorant in sleep caused a physical pain in his chest, and his hand was curled lightly over his heart before he could stop himself. There was a voice in his head screaming at him recoil, to push away the thoughts and the emotions and step out while he still could. But just this once, Sebastian blocked it out. He reached out a hand and let one finger caress the side of Blaine's face, swallowing in attempt to dull the feeling in his chest.

"_This is gonna sound stupid,_" he whispered, speaking in French just in case he was overheard. "_I think maybe I'm tired, but… Don't do anything that'll mean I have to push you away, okay? It's just, now that you're here… I don't want to have to let you go._"

He sighed, too lost in his own head to think about how ridiculous he would look if he saw himself right then. This also caused him to miss Jeff's head pop up from the edge of Nick's bed, his eyes squinting into the darkness and feeling the pillow beneath him with confusion before spotting Sebastian. He sat up more, having to gently rearrange David's arms which were awkwardly swung over his torso and trapping him where he lay, but eventually he was free. He just watched him for a moment, his head too sluggish to make sense of anything, but it didn't last too long.

"Sebastian?" he murmured, his voice coming out abnormally deep. The boy in question whipped round, his hand withdrawing from Blaine's face as though he'd received a shock.

"Jeff?" he whispered back, folding his arms as he wondered how long Jeff had been awake for. After a moment of hesitation, Jeff crawled off the bed, cautiously making his way over to where Sebastian was whilst tactically avoiding the scattered Warblers.

"What are you doing up?" Jeff asked. Sebastian couldn't help but notice how his eyes were fixed more or less on the floor, his voice different and his hands tense.

"I… My cell went off," he replied, swallowing as he looked at Blaine's phone in his lap. "Just a pocket dial."

"When I saw you just now, Seb, you were on Blaine's face, not your cell."

Sebastian frowned slightly, stuttering over words to save him but finding the excuse just getting lost in the air. Jeff spoke up again, and Sebastian tried to ignore how eerie it was beginning to feel with Jeff still not looking at him.

"We made a bet, me and Nick. That you two would kiss."

"Of course you did," Sebastian smirked, but there was no humour in Jeff's face. "Who won?"

"Nick," Jeff murmured. "But I guess he has to be speaking to me in order to get his winnings."

Sebastian's smile faded, a bubble of guilt suddenly growing in his chest. "Jeff-"

"Why'd you do it?" he asked, finally raising his head to look at Sebastian, who could see the venom in his eyes even in the dark. The frustration was evident in his tone without having to raise his voice at all. "I know you were dared to, but… You're _Sebastian. _You can get out of any situation if you wanted to."

"It wasn't like I-"

"I know I'm over reacting," Jeff sighed, cutting Sebastian off again. "But he hasn't laughed it off, like I hoped he would. He was just looking at you, the _whole _night, and when I tried to talk to him he just ignored me. And maybe you don't care, but that hurt."

"Of course I care," Sebastian snapped, his temper stilted by tiredness. He ran a hand through his hair, taking a moment to recollect himself. "I could've done worse. But I know how you feel about him-"

"You don't know anythi-"

"You think denying this is gonna make it easier for you?" he asked, and Jeff bit his lip and dropped his gaze, again. "You're running out of time, Jeff. This time next year, you'll both be weeks away from moving to college. Imagine if you're still at the same stage you're at now. What if you end up in two separate places, and you try to see and speak to each other as much as you can but it gets harder and harder and you end up drifting apart? And then this time, in two years, you feel weird around each other because college changed you, and you realise you're different people, and all you have left between you is regret? Is that what you want?"

Jeff was silent, and although Sebastian couldn't see any immediate emotion on his face, he had noticed how Jeff had balled his hands into fists. He watched him carefully, waiting for a response but all he was currently getting from Jeff were concentrated, shaky breaths. Admittedly, he didn't know how deep Jeff felt, or if the situation was more complicated than it seemed, but still – it would've saddened him not to see the two of them be together in every sense of the word.

"Jeff?"

"No," he finally whispered, looking up at Sebastian to reveal glassy and scared eyes. "But we won't do that. We won't get like that."

"You've gotta stop saying and start doing. I know it's scary, but the long term outcome if you don't do anything is scarier. You've gotta get in there, Jeff. Making heart eyes at Nick and leaving it at that won't get you anywhere."

"You're one to talk," Jeff scoffed. "You know, you should take your own advice."

"…This isn't about me" Sebastian frowned, not even wanting to know what Jeff was talking about. Sebastian Smythe certainly did _not _make heart eyes. "You know what I was saying to Nick, when I was doing the dare?"

Jeff's eyes narrowed. "I don't see what this has to do with anything…"

"When I started talking, the first thing I said to him was, 'think of that one person'. And immediately, he was blushing." Jeff didn't say anything, just dropped his gaze, and Sebastian knew he already understood but continued to talk. "Say that to anyone, and they think of the first person in their heart. And from that point on, I wasn't whispering flirtatious little things of my own in his ear. I was talking about you. I didn't have to say your name, but since I said that, I knew he was thinking of you."

Jeff looked at him curiously, his eyes still narrowed but more in thought as opposed to a more vicious emotion. Sebastian was glad to see he was thinking it over in his head, watching as Jeff felt every single one of his anxieties when it came to him and Nick, and seeing him trying to overcome them. He was watching his heart become brave, and Sebastian suddenly felt like less of a bad person.

"He got like that… because of me," Jeff murmured, more to himself than Sebastian. "That's gotta mean something, right?"

"Oh, Jeffrey, that _certainly _isn't the only indication that that boy is head over heels in love with you."

"One step at a time, Sebastian," Jeff said, although he sounded very preoccupied. "And don't call me Jeffrey."

"Would you rather I called you _Jeffy?_" Sebastian teased, earning a first class glare from the blonde.

"Only Nick gets to call me that," he said protectively, unable to stop the small smile on his face. He bit his lip, whatever he was thinking of just making him smile even more, and Sebastian couldn't help but realise how love really could make people smile beautifully. "I'll talk to him. I'm gonna do something about this," Jeff smiled. "But don't think I'm not mad at you, still."

"You'll thank me one day," Sebastian smirked, winking at Jeff. The other boy rolled his eyes, but nothing could wipe the smile off his face.

"So you gonna tell me the real reason you were sitting up stroking Blaine's face like he was a sleeping kitten?" Jeff asked, tilting his head with a teasing smile on his lips. Sebastian's own smile faded, gulping and looking down at Blaine's face. He couldn't tell whether the sleeping boy could hear him or not, but there was no way he was taking any chances – after all, this was still a good day and night for him. Sebastian was determined to hang on to that.

"I can't," he said quietly, looking back up at Jeff. "Not here. Not today."

Jeff tilted his head. "Is it really that bad?"

"The worst," Sebastian murmured, biting his lip. Jeff's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and his head tilted more, as if he was already making assumptions but Sebastian could do nothing to confirm or deny. Instead, he shrugged, finally placing the phone back in between him and Blaine to indicate the end of their conversation.

"You should sleep," he told Jeff with a curt smile. "Just, if you have a sex dream, don't have it too loud this time, okay?"

"Are you ever gonna let me live that down?" Jeff asked, his face flaring red. Sebastian shook his head.

"You had a sex dream in front of the wrong person," he teased, as Jeff sighed playfully and made his way back. Sebastian couldn't help chuckle as he curled back up on the end of the bed, even placing David's arms back over him as they were when he woke up. Sebastian took his time stretching out before lying down next to Blaine, doing all he could not to think about the phone call. He did shuffle a little closer, though, vaguely wondering how Blaine would look once the sunlight started to hit face in the morning before quickly dismissing the thought, almost sickened by his own brain.

"Good night, Sebby," Jeff whispered, smiling and closing his eyes.

"Sweet dreams," Sebastian replied. "But not too sweet, Jeff."

Jeff chuckled, his own sleep coming quickly whereas Sebastian found himself settling in for a long night. Although he told himself to sleep, his mind wouldn't budge from its turmoil, not able to un-hear the moans of the boy that could surely ruin Blaine's life. His eyes kept opening, turning to the side and watching Blaine as he slept with a silent promise in his eyes.

Blaine was gonna get the happiness he deserved – and he was going to be the one to give it to him.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Please don't hate me, I was ill for a week and my writing was consequently awful D: I refused to post this until someone proof read it. Sooo here we go! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 11**

"Don't be mad."

Blaine hated starting a conversation like that, and as he looked into the sceptical eyes of his parents, he knew it wasn't going down well with them, either. He was usually incredibly calm under pressure, but for whatever reason, this had him in a rut. His dad was sat in a very practised position; his hands folded carefully in his lap while his eyes watched him attentively, eyebrows slightly raised in interest… It wasn't hard to see where Blaine's strain to keep composure came from. His mom, however, was a little less guided - she sat with her back straight as an iron pole, her lips pursed together and her brow furrowed. Blaine had to force himself to hold her eye so he didn't shy away under her gaze as he continued.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and, um… I-I came to the conclusion that I… I wanna… My education is important, right?"

"Of course it is, son," Mr Anderson said, smiling in such an annoyingly generic way that Blaine was sure his dad saw him as a potential customer he was trying to sell to, not his own son.

"Right, so… And it's my last year, and that's important. So I… In the interest of my education… I thought that maybe, in order to get the best out of my school experience… because really, this is my last chance, I should… I mean, McKinley's okay, but… if I transferred back to Dalton, I could really benefit to my fullest potential. Right?"

He felt time stand still as he tried to decode the expressions on his parent's faces; his mother's mouth had fallen slightly open, looking at him like as if she was trying to work out if he was being serious or not, and his dad was scarily neutral. As soon as his gaze met his dad's, he couldn't look away – it was almost like being spotted by an animal that you weren't sure wanted to kill you or not. He gulped, doing all he could to not tense up or show any sign of feeling insecure. That would only make his dad worse.

"This is no time for jokes, Blaine," his dad said dismissively, finally dropping his eyes and picking up a newspaper from the rack next to him.

"I… I'm not joking, Dad," Blaine said helplessly. "I really want this."

"Do you know how much tutoring alone at that school costs?" his dad asked calmly, not taking his eyes off the paper. "And then there's boarding fee, of course. Now, if I remember rightly, Blaine, last year when you transferred to go to that public school you told me it was partly for financial reasons. Of course, you were lying, but it's nice you thought of that."

"It's my last year, and all my friends are at Dalton, if I can just-"

"_Friends?_" Blaine's dad repeated, finally looking up. "You didn't make any at the public school so you want to crawl back? Is that it?"

"N-no!" Blaine stuttered. "Dalton is… It's where I belong! Academically, socially… in terms of challenging myself… Please, dad. Wouldn't it sound better to everyone as well to say I was a Dalton graduate?"

Blaine's dad was silent for a moment, his eyes falling back to the paper in front of him as his mouth twisted in contemplation. Blaine tried not to show how bothered he was that of all factors, the reputation one was what got his dad thinking.

"Do you really think I'm that simple, Blaine?" Mr Anderson asked, tilting his head and looking at Blaine sternly. Blaine swallowed – he knew that look.

"No, sir," he mumbled.

"You think reputation is all I care about? Do you perceive me as some money grabbing villain who is disgusted by their son going to a public school?"

"No, sir."

"Then tell me the real reason. Please. Why you suddenly want to jump ship again. It wouldn't have anything to do with Kurt moving, now, would it?"

"…Dad," Blaine began, his tone obviously hurt.

"I'm sick of having to fit my bills around your love life, Blaine. That's not how we do things."

"That's not it! Really, dad, I just want to-"

"Blaine," his mother's voice cut in, her tone carrying off her level headedness and apparent care all at once. "Honey, you're getting a little frustrated, aren't you? But you can see why we're frustrated. We've barely seen you for weeks. Aren't we your family, Blaine?"

"…Of course," Blaine replied, a little thrown off by his mother's contribution. "But can't _you _see why _I'm _frustrated?"

"What you need to understand, dear, is you can't click your fingers or flutter your eyelashes and expect us to give you what you want. We're not just providers to you, Blaine. We're people. And your father and I really aren't fond of being lied to."

"Mom-"

"Now, don't get me wrong. Although you may not be telling us the full reason, I appreciate that you came and talked to us about this, and perhaps your father and I can consider it. We do want you to be happy, sweetie. We're not monsters."

"I know, mom," Blaine sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, honey, you haven't done anything."

Blaine smiled, happy to see his mother smiling back at him and let his shoulders slump. "Thanks, mom."

"Don't mention it, dear. But you know, it wouldn't hurt for you to be home a little more. I'm struggling to keep up with you."

"I… I can try," Blaine stuttered, biting his lip. His mom frowned slightly, tilting her head with a questioning glint in her eye. "I guess sometimes… the house can feel a little… stuffy. With Cooper gone and you guys working so much, it just doesn't feel like home."

His mother's eyes dropped, and he immediately knew it was a mistake. He could talk like that with his mom okay, but his dad wasn't even half of what she was on the understanding scale. And with the way his mom had apparently bowed out of the conversation, he had no hope of redemption.

"So, with the Hummels? That's your home?"

"I didn't say that, da-"

"You didn't have to. It's written in every one of your mannerisms. Or there lack of, considering you and your mannerisms spend more time in that house doing God knows what under Burt Hummel's roof."

"Dad!"

"It's okay, Blaine. But shouldn't you be going home, now? It's getting late."

"I… What?" Blaine looked into his father's face, seeing nothing but the same cold, concentrated expression he was all too used to seeing. There was only the slightest glint of hesitation in Mr Anderson's eyes, but it seemed he'd made up his mind.

"I don't want you in this house as long as it's not home to you. And I'll send you to Dalton to save you lodging in a stranger's house. Seems all your wishes have come true, doesn't it, Blaine?"

"That's not what I want," Blaine whispered, looking between his parents to try and find some understanding to grapple on.

"And I'll get my wish," his dad continued. "I won't have to endure you lying to me anymore."

"I'm telling you the truth!" Blaine said desperately. "Dalton is where I belong!"

"And I'm giving you what you want. That appears to be all you care about, anyway - yourself."

Blaine shook his head, his hands reaching out to accompany the words on the tip of his tongue but all he could do was sigh feebly. "You're my dad," he said quietly, more like a plea than a statement. His dad merely glanced up at him once more before returning to the paper on his lap, wordlessly dismissing Blaine. He looked at his mom, who gave a quick glance to his father before getting up and leading Blaine out the room, a look of concern over her face. Once she'd felt they were far enough from the living room, which consequently was right by the front door, she spoke.

"Your father's been having a hard time at work," she begun, looking Blaine in the eye with a gaze that demanded understanding. "He's stressed at the moment, Blaine. He doesn't know what he's saying. Perhaps you… Just for a few days, maybe it would be best to keep out of his hair?"

"What are you saying?" Blaine asked quietly, reaching up to hold his mom's arm.

"Is there somewhere you can stay for a few days, sweetie? The Hummel's, maybe?"

"You mean you're really kicking me out?!"

"No! No, honey, no, that's not it. I just think you should give your dad some space to let him cool down. I'll let you know as soon as I think it's safe to come back, but if you want to come back sooner you just tell me."

"Mom…"

"You know your father will just do something over the top if you stay. He'll realise soon enough what he's done if you go."

Blaine looked into the hazel eyes of his mother, his hand squeezing her arm subconsciously but he realised what he was doing when he felt his mom's hand on top of his. Gently, she took Blaine's hand away from her arm, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek before straightening up.

"I'll miss you," she added. "But this will work. I promise."

Blaine hesitated a little longer before he realised neither parent was going to be okay with him staying, and he sighed, nodding and resting his hand on the handle of the front door.

"I'll miss you, too," he replied, smiling sadly. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Mrs Anderson said, reaching out to squeeze Blaine's free hand. "Call me, okay? Every night if you can."

Blaine nodded, forcing himself to open the door and kept his gaze away to keep from lingering. He was sure his mom was watching him walk out to the car, but every part of him was concentrated forward, opening the door and driving away from the house without so much as a glance back. He didn't let himself think. The whole car ride he just felt numb, not even turning on the car stereo as he drove back to Lima.

It wasn't until he pulled up outside the Hummel household he finally allowed the scream of frustration to escape.

* * *

The sky had long ago lost its light when Blaine finally got out the car. The day felt like it had dragged on for hours, just sitting in the car that felt too big and trying to get all his emotions out before he saw Kurt. After all, he was still Blaine Anderson –the boy who clung desperately to composure, something that only got worse when life got harder. But he couldn't sit there forever. It was a wonder no one had come out and said something.

He waited patiently for five minutes for the door to open, only ringing the bell three times in case he was being an annoyance. He'd began thinking of alternatives to Kurt's house, and was just about to step off the door step when the door finally cracked open, revealing a very dressed up Kurt. Blaine smiled, feeling relief along with his own emotions coming back and hitting him a little harder now he was standing in front of someone he knew could care about him.

"Hi," he said, sounding nothing like his usual self. Kurt just looked shocked, frowning slightly but stepping out of the way to let him in.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked, closing the door. Blaine didn't answer straight away; just surged forward and wound his arms around Kurt's waist. He immediately noticed Kurt was wearing some kind of fragrance, and it was a little stronger than what he was used to but it was still Kurt. He buried his face in his neck, feeling much better when Kurt circled his own arms around his shoulders and happily ignored how hesitant he was.

"I'm sorry I just sprang up out of the blue," Blaine murmured, holding him a little tighter. "I should've called, but… It all happened so quickly."

"It's okay… What happened?" Kurt asked, sounded a little hurried. Blaine tried to ignore that, too.

"My parents kicked me out," he whispered. "My mom doesn't think it'll last, but… It's… It's still kinda heart breaking."

"Kicked you out?" Kurt repeated, pulling away to look Blaine in the eye. "Why would they do that?"

Blaine hesitated for a moment, suddenly realising he hadn't even mentioned the Dalton thing to Kurt. "I… Well, I mentioned the idea of transferring schools to them, and one thing lead to another and I ended up accidently calling here 'home'. My dad got angry because of how little time I was spending there, and then he told me to 'go home'… I can't go back until my mom says I can."

Kurt looked at him sadly, but Blaine also caught something else in his expression that he really couldn't work out. It almost seemed like reluctance. "I'm sorry," he said. "That sounds terrible."

Blaine nodded, although he was rapidly beginning to feel like a nuisance. "If it's not too much trouble, could I… maybe… stay here? Just for a few days. If I become any trouble, just say the word and I'm gone, out of-"

"Blaine," Kurt cut in, squeezing his shoulder and offering him a tiny, reassuring smile that washed over the other boy. "This house is home for as long as you want it to be. Besides, it's good to have you around. At least someone can understand Dad's sport's talk."

A smile of his own grew over Blaine's face, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he let himself relax. Maybe he didn't have his parents, but Kurt's caring for him was all the 'home' he really needed. He looked at his boyfriend gratefully, reaching out to take his hand and run his thumb over his knuckles. It had felt like such a long time he'd actually got to spend proper, intimate time with Kurt, and not necessarily in a sexual way – just the small gestures, tiny glances and sweet touches that were silent reminders to each other of their love. But his hopes of rekindling that broke when Kurt looked towards the door and sighed, shaking his hand out of Blaine's grasp.

"Blaine," he started, the boy in question stepping back slightly as he took in how dressed up Kurt really was.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked.

"I-I was," Kurt stuttered.

"Kurt," Blaine began, realising how much of a bother he must have been. "I know… I mean, I don't wanna be a burden, but… I really need you right now."

Kurt's mouth twisted, like he was going to say something else but bit back his original response. "Yeah?"

Blaine nodded, wanting to reach out and take his hand again but thought against it after remembering how Kurt shook him off. "I know things have been a bit weird between us, but we always support each other, and… I could really benefit from being with you tonight."

"What do you mean by things being weird between us?" Kurt asked, his gaze suddenly a little icy.

"…You can't tell me you haven't noticed."

"I can when it's perfectly true, Blaine. Why do you think things are weird?"

Blaine just looked at him for a moment, a little insulted that Kurt was playing this game. He folded his arms, feeling small and looking at a spot on the floor. "It just feels like… Lately… You've been a little…. Distant."

"Distant?" Kurt repeated, eyebrows raised.

"You've been going out so much, more and more, because you need girl time with Mercedes or something, and you know I have no problems with that but… I-I feel like she's gotten to see you more than I have, lately."

"So, what, you don't want me seeing my friend's now?"

"No! That's not what I-"

"Then what else is it, Blaine? Because right now, you're just being petty over me going to Mercedes's. She's one of my best friends. _Of course _I'm gonna see her a lot."

"I know, Kurt, but-"

"Can we just stop talking about this? I think I've heard enough-"

"Kurt!" Blaine yelled, his breathing uncommonly heavy. "Will you just listen to me?! Maybe I just miss you, and I feel like you just don't want to be around me anymore, or… we're not the same."

"Oh, so now you're trying to make it sound like-"

"You're doing it again!" he cried. "You're not even_ listening _to me, you're just making excuses to be even more angry and _I _end up being the bad guy! Do you even care how much I miss you?"

Kurt exhaled loudly, folding his arms and looking nothing less than irritated. "Does that make me the bad guy?"

Blaine just looked at him, sure that this whole thing just couldn't be happening and that he'd wake up from this nightmare any time soon. Time stood still for a moment, his pleading eyes locking with Kurt's ice cold ones. There was no doubt something had changed. He wondered if there was any inch of love at all in that gaze. "Do you even still care about me?" he asked quietly, voice coming out quiet like a secret he was ashamed of. Kurt's eyes widened, looking completely offended and scoffing almost a little too much.

"How can you ask me that?!" he asked. "You are my _boyfriend, _Blaine! Of course I care about you! I can't believe you would ask me that!"

"I can't believe I felt it necessary to have to ask," Blaine admitted. "Why can't you see how this is hurting me?"

"Well maybe it's hurting both of us. I'm going out. Don't wait up."

"…What?"

"I just… can't do this right now."

"Kurt!" Blaine said desperately, unable to believe what he was hearing. "You can't leave now. I wasn't kidding when I said I needed you. Please."

Kurt just bit his lip, looking at Blaine with some sort of fight in his eyes that the other boy had no hope of understanding. He didn't get why it was so complicated, or why Kurt had a sudden aversion to listening to him. Surely Kurt wouldn't really walk away from him now. He felt like it was almost some kind of bad joke.

"Just stay, and talk to me. We don't even have to talk, if you don't want to. I just need you now, Kurt."

Kurt's eyes dropped to the floor, the same, suddenly guilty expression coming over his face Blaine was sure he had seen earlier. He stepped away from the door, looking up at Blaine and hugging him in a way that scared him; reasonably physical, yet very little feeling. Blaine had to wrap his own arms around Kurt tighter just to push out the scared feeling.

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered, his vague tone not helping Blaine shake off his anxiety.

"Just tell me you'll stay," he replied. "Just tonight, can we just… forget everything else?"

It took Kurt a while to reply, his arms faithfully staying around Blaine like a badly tied noose. Blaine refused to move, though, closing his eyes and trying to fool himself into feeling the comfort he'd usually find in his boyfriend's arms.

"I'll stay," Kurt murmured, pulling away with a soft smile on his lips. Blaine smiled back, his own smile wide and genuine as he reached out for Kurt's hand and holding it like a lifeline.

"Thank you," he breathed, feeling his eyes tear up. Kurt just nodded, squeezing his hand before leading him up the stairs. The two of them remained in Kurt's room, Kurt replacing his former outfit with comfier attire but still smelling strongly of whatever fragrance it was. Blaine giggled fondly at how his boyfriend wouldn't take the product out of his hair just yet, far too proud of how he'd styled it. They stayed, and cuddled, and watched The Breakfast Club together before Blaine asked if they could turn in, happily thanking Kurt again and smiling when he attempted to reverse their position so that his head was on Kurt's chest instead, but Kurt just wouldn't have it. He fell into a deep, comforting sleep, his heart swelling as Kurt rubbed soothing circles into his shoulders to help him relax. There were no thoughts of the home situation to terrorise his mind, and that was added to now be able to convince himself that Kurt still really cared about him.

* * *

He slept dreamlessly but peacefully; Kurt's bed was a familiar place to him, and although it had caused trouble with his parents, he really did feel at home. It was a surprise how deep he could sleep, after everything he'd been through that day – but there was no way he could ignore the screams of Sebastian coming through the wall.

This time, however, it wasn't the first thing he realised when he woke up. For as he turned over in the bed, he realised he was alone.

Kurt was gone.

For one guilty moment, Sebastian's terror was background noise to him, his arm stretching across the width of the bed and not even feeling any warmth where Kurt should've been on the mattress. Wherever he'd gone, he'd gone there a long time ago. Blaine pressed his lips together, curling into a foetal like position. He couldn't believe how easily Kurt could betray him. Especially now, more than ever. He looked around the room, arms curled tight around the duvet like it could substitute the warmth of his boyfriend, but they might as well have been the same thing; Kurt brought no real warmth to him, anymore. Blaine wondered sadly if it was actually his intention to see him suffer.

When the silence settled in around him, Blaine turned his attention to the boy sleeping in the next room. The quietness just weighed down on him more, realising he'd let Sebastian suffer the whole time while he'd gotten wound up over his own heart ache. Of course, he didn't know what caused the night terrors, but he was sure that Sebastian's reason for them cut a lot deeper than his own boyfriend leaving in the middle of the night. He waited, straining his ears and feeling his heart clench hard in his chest when he caught Sebastian's muffled cries, indicating to Blaine the dreams were far from over. Although he'd not been in the same room, he'd noticed a pattern start to occur; he'd start off with a lot of mumbling, which would get hastier and more frantic as it went on, which soon transitioned into desperate pleas and then came the screaming. But what followed that was perhaps the most heart breaking, and that was the soft, heartbroken whimpers and tears that begged for something Blaine was sure he couldn't give. He could, however, take away the dreams.

Without so much as another thought, Blaine threw the duvet off of him, walking to the door with soft feet so as not to wake anyone. The hall was dark, but he knew where to step to not catch a creaky floor board, and as he approached Sebastian's room he drew a deep breath. He only hoped he wouldn't make things worse, this time.

He opened the door, refusing to let himself hesitate as he silently crept into Sebastian's room. He just took him in for a moment, sighing sadly at the state Sebastian had worked himself into – the duvet was tangled around him, his forehead glistening with sweat and his breathing still heavy. He lowered himself down on the edge of the double bed, scooting round so he was sitting next to Sebastian. He had no hope of understanding what he was saying, but he noticed that there were tears pricking in the edges of his eyes and his eyebrows were drawn together far too tightly for someone who could be having a good sleep. He swallowed, trying to find the courage to do what he knew he had to do.

He shuffled closer, first just reaching out a hand to brush some of the stuck hair from Sebastian's forehead. The sleeping boy immediately followed the touch, and Blaine was surprised at how responsive he could be just in sleep. The touch alone had caused some change, but he didn't want to stop there; he'd come too far. He was murmuring something new, now, something that sounded a little less terrified but a lot more confused. Blaine bit his lip, gently lifting Sebastian's arm so he could carefully wind his own around his torso, stopping himself from gasping just in time when Sebastian's own arm held him closer to his chest. He looked up, but Sebastian's eyes were still closed, so he did his best to relax against the other's body. It felt intrusive, that was for sure, but something about the way Sebastian held him back made him realise how much he needed this. He moved his head a little so his ear was pressed against his chest, his eyes closed to the sound of Sebastian's decreasing heartbeat. Eventually, it was just a soft, steady thumping in his ear, and Blaine didn't even realise he was smiling as he continued to listen to the sound like it was his favourite song. Sebastian's arm remained tight around him, and as he watched his own hand subconsciously stroking soothing patterns against Sebastian's skin, it occurred to him that maybe he needed this, too. It had started to feel like a long time since the crying, and Blaine was happy to have caught it before a second wave happened, or before the crying got too aggressive. He knew that he'd saved Sebastian's voice from being sore the next day, but even better than that, he'd saved him from his worst nightmare. He suddenly felt very good in Sebastian's arms.

"You came," Sebastian whispered, causing Blaine to freeze up considerably. He didn't dare move, his hand stopping mid motion and even his eyes remaining on the same spot they'd been on before the silence had been broken. He didn't mean to be caught. Not really. It hadn't been something to occur to him, but now he was here, faced with words he didn't know how to deal with, he felt himself start to panic.

"I'm sorry," he replied, barely audible even to himself. No response came, and he looked up again to see Sebastian's eyes hadn't opened. He whispered the other boy's name, but he remained asleep, not even twitching at Blaine's voice. Blaine wondered if he'd even been talking to him.

"Sebastian?" he whispered again, receiving not so much as a stir in reply. A tiny smile grew on Blaine's lips, not taking his eyes off Sebastian's face. "I take it back," he grinned. "I'm not sorry, Bastian."

For all visible proof, Sebastian could still be completely ignorant of Blaine's words; but Blaine was sure he could feel the arm around him tighten, and he smiled, deciding that even if he had heard him, he didn't mind at all.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hi! I just wanted to thank you all for your reviews, they're helpful and really help me along! Also, extra thank you to VD-HP-Glee for helping me out with French! Enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 12**

Sebastian had never been so disappointed to wake up. In the limbo between awake and asleep, he clung to the last whispers of his dreams, not conscious enough to be the slightest bit reserved on the matter. It was strange – his dreams definitely hadn't started off pleasant, but the terrors in his mind seemed to unexplainably fade away, replaced by dreams of the hazel eyed boy that was no stranger to his mind. This had been different from what he'd been used to, though. Not that it felt real, exactly, but it stayed with him, especially considering how dreams of him had cut through his nightmares. There was usually only one thing that could stop that, but as he looked around the bed, he saw he was alone. Could just the mere thought of Blaine drive them away, now? Sebastian bit his lip. It just didn't seem right. As much as he wanted it to be.

Sighing, he got to his feet and stretched, wincing at the click in his neck before making his way to the door. The rest of the household was used to him just wearing pyjama pants by then, but it wasn't like him to have any reservations in the first place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, other than the questions in his mind, so he breezed through the beginnings of his morning routine and let himself think it out. Or at least, try to – but the unexpected addition in the kitchen caused any chance of making sense of anything evaporate.

"Blaine?" Sebastian asked, the boy in question pouring milk over some kind of cereal. The boy in question looked up and smiled warmly, maybe a little too much so, but that mixed in with the strangeness of the night before was enough to make Sebastian's heart flutter. He quickly looked away.

"Hey, Bastian," Blaine replied, and Sebastian had to bite his lip – he was sure he was blushing.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, after clearing his throat and attempting to resume making breakfast like nothing was weird. The strange silence made it hard for him to continue this way, though, and he looked up to see Blaine struggling for words. "Blaine?"

"Uh… Just… stuff at home," he said, trying to chuckle. "Gonna be here for a while."

"You having troubles?"

"It's…" Blaine looked up, looking at Sebastian as though he could find the words he wanted to say on his face, but eventually realised he couldn't. "Don't worry about it."

"Too late for that," Sebastian shrugged, grabbing a carton of juice from the fridge and approaching Blaine whilst unscrewing the lid. "Talk to me."

Blaine sighed. "I got kicked out."

"_What?_"

"It's not permanent," Blaine assured him. "At least, that's what my mom says."

"How did this happen?" Sebastian asked, frowning. If anyone deserved that, it definitely wasn't Blaine.

"My dad… I guess I wound him up a little. I was asking them about transferring to Dalton, and… Well, I got my wish."

"You're definitely coming to Dalton?" Sebastian clarified. Blaine nodded, chuckling softly before continuing.

"But then, they got on to the topic of how I was never there, and… I guess it's true, you know? I'm not. But… but then I accidently called this place home. And my dad told me to go home." He sighed, pushing the cereal around his bowl. "At least mom told me I should be able to come back once he's calmed down a bit. I'm just scared he won't."

Sebastian scowled, looking at Blaine contemplatively as he took a swig from the juice carton. He bit his tongue against the harsh words he had to say against Blaine's father, pretty sure that wasn't what Blaine wanted to hear; instead, he dropped the juice carton onto the side and squeezed Blaine's shoulder, surprised when the other boy immediately responded to by throwing his arms around Sebastian. He hesitated, only for a moment – there was something strangely familiar about the hug, and as he wound his own arms snuggly around Blaine's shoulders, he wondered if that was why Blaine was so eager to hug him. To find a different sense of… No, not home. He wouldn't let himself think like that. But definitely comfort. He felt his heart flutter for the second time that morning, and he repressed a frustrated growl. He'd been reduced to acting a bit too much like a 14 year old girl with a crush for his liking, but nonetheless, the rest of him apparently didn't care. He closed his eyes for a moment. Blaine didn't seem to be crying, but there was no slack in the way he was holding Sebastian, and something suddenly occurred to him.

"When did you get here?" he asked quietly, rubbing soothing patterns against his shoulder.

"Last night," Blaine replied.

"Was Kurt not there for you?" The anger in Sebastian began to bubble up again; if Blaine was so desperate to be held like that, he was sure Kurt couldn't have done a very good job of caring for him.

"He…" Blaine bit his lip, and Sebastian held on to him tighter. "He was there at first. He was gonna go out, and then, he didn't… He cuddled me a bit, we fell asleep together… But I…"

"Go on," Sebastian urged, his voice hushed and scarily level.

"I woke up again, in the middle of the night, and h-he was gone."

"Out?"

Blaine nodded, and this time, Sebastian couldn't supress the noise of frustration. "He came back at about… 4am… he slid back into bed next to me. This morning he pretended like nothing happened."

Sebastian was silent for a long time, no longer able to put all the comfort into the hug that he wanted due to the sudden suffocating anger. He inhaled deeply, suddenly feeling a little possessive over the boy in his arms. "You should confront him," he said, trying not to sound as angry as he felt.

"I can't," Blaine sighed. "What would I say?"

"You're not the one in the wrong, here, Blaine. He goes out without telling you, when you obviously needed him, and then acts like it never happened?"

"I love him," Blaine said, frustrated. "So I trust him. That's that."

There was no telling who pulled away from who, but Blaine immediately folded his arms across his chest, refusing to meet Sebastian's eye. Sebastian's heart dropped – in a weird way, he felt like he'd let Blaine down. He looked around the room, his instincts telling him to close off and walk away, pretend like nothing happened and try bantering with Blaine a little later on. But this was _Blaine. _That just didn't seem right; he cared too much. And besides, wouldn't doing that make him just as bad as Kurt?

He couldn't bring himself to speak. Instead, he reached out again and rested a hand on Blaine's arm, his thumb stroking gently against the skin and his eyes watching him with soft concern, silently conveying that he wouldn't walk away. Blaine finally looked up, his gaze trying to be hard but cracking almost instantly, sighing and offering a soft smile to Sebastian.

"Thank you for your concern, though," he said. Sebastian nodded, trying not to show how relieved he was now that Blaine forgave him.

"You don't have to thank me," Sebastian told him, squeezing his arm before letting go. "Just… Stand up for yourself a little, Blaine."

Blaine's eyes dropped again, and Sebastian sighed, realising he'd done it once more.

"Look, I just think you need to realise you're not the bad guy. You don't have to punish yourself."

"That's not it," Blaine bit back. "Whenever I 'stand up for myself', it always goes wrong."

Sebastian could sense some kind of tension under those words, and frowned, tilting his head. "What do you mean?"

"Don't worry," Blaine sighed, raising his hand in defeat. "I'm just… over reacting. With everything that's happened lately. It doesn't look like there's much I can do right."

He shrugged, and Sebastian hated how self-depreciative Blaine seemed. Because of _Kurt's _actions, which Blaine was blaming himself for. Sebastian shook his head, lips pressed hard together as he tried to structure a proper sentence through his fury.

"Why can't you see that you're not in the wrong here?" he asked. "You didn't kick yourself out, you didn't _leave _in the middle of the night. I know you wouldn't do something like that to Kurt."

Blaine looked taken aback, not expecting Sebastian to be as angry as he seemed. "W-Well, Kurt wouldn't do that to me," he replied defensively. "I mean, sure, he left in the middle of the night, but I'm sure… I'm sure he had a good reason."

"So what's the harm in asking him?" Sebastian asked. After a pause where Blaine did nothing but avoid his eye, he said, "It's because you know where he really went, don't you?"

"No!" Blaine snapped. "You can't say that! I _don't _know. And I don't want to."

"Because you're scared I might be right?"

"He wouldn't. He can't… he _can't_…"

"Blaine," Sebastian said softly, not missing the break in the other boy's voice. "Just talk to him. Don't get down on yourself for this. You're not the one you should be upset with."

"But what if you're right?" he asked, his resolve rapidly disappearing. "And he did go _out_? Don't you realise what that would mean? I have no idea where he would've gone. He and Mercedes have been hanging out so much lately, and he'll never invite me, or talk about it… And now he's… he's…"

"Right," Sebastian whispered, resting a hang on Blaine's shoulder. "He needs to know you feel this way, Blaine. He needs to see how upset this is making you."

"No," Blaine breathed. Sebastian frowned.

"How do you expect to-"

"You wouldn't understand," he mumbled, his arms wound around his torso like he was trying to hold himself together. "Sebastian… Have you ever been in love with someone?"

Sebastian felt his heart drop, far too used to that being used against him, and for a split second, he really thought Blaine was insulting him. But then he saw the ignorance on his face, and the wide, curious eyes that really wanted to know. "No," he replied, shaking his head. Blaine nodded, his shoulders sinking slightly.

"Well, I love Kurt," he told him. "E-even if… even if it's starting to… hurt." He swallowed. "I still love him. And I want things to stop being so… I want things to get better."

Sebastian deliberated for a moment, trying not to dwell on how masochistic Blaine sounded. "I may not have been there, Blaine, but I'm sure that's not what love is."

Blaine sighed, his arms tightening around himself as he looked around the room, almost as if he was trying to find a way out.

"When you love someone, you're kinda doomed. Because as long as you can see the smallest chance of things working out, you'll endure pain and maybe act like it's fair. No matter what, they're still that one person… It's like, my heart is in his hands. And he can hurt it, but as long as he doesn't throw it away, I'll love him."

"Why?" Sebastian asked, shaking his head in confusion.

"Because it's true, you know? I'd take the bad over and over again if it meant I could have the good."

Sebastian looked at him sadly, unable to take how much Blaine was destroying himself – especially over a boy who couldn't have loved him nearly as much. He was suddenly scared – what was Blaine going to do when he found out the guy he was so in love with was _cheating _on him? He wished he didn't care so much. The one person he'd let into his life, further than almost anyone, was about to get hurt and he was powerless. He wanted so badly to protect him. To hold him and not let anything that could harm him near, to take away any pain. To give him as much of 'the good' as he could.

Sebastian suddenly really wanted to run away, again.

"Bastian?" Blaine asked, not missing the daze he'd seem to have fallen into. Sebastian just smiled, but there was no hiding the sadness in his eyes.

"You really love him that much?" he asked, really not meaning to say the words out loud. His jaw clenched and he swallowed thickly, gaze locked with Blaine while the other boy stared at him with confusion. Eventually, he nodded, but Sebastian spotted how nervous he seemed, how he almost looked scared.

"He's my everything," he said, his voice breaking on the last word. Sebastian watched his hands subconsciously clutch at his heart, before reaching out to hold him again, unsurprised when Blaine burst into tears this time. Blaine knew something was wrong. He knew, and Sebastian slowly began to realise that's exactly what he was scared of. His hands were gripping tightly to his back, his head buried hard against his chest. He was hanging onto Sebastian because he _needed _something to hang on to.

"Blaine," Sebastian murmured, his tone uncommonly soft.

"It hurts," Sebastian just about caught him say, and he held him tighter. "I'm sorry, Bastian."

"Don't apologise, you have nothing to apologise for," he told him. "But you shouldn't be this hurt, Blaine."

"I love him."

"You know who else you should love? Yourself. And you shouldn't be doing this to yourself. You don't deserve it." Blaine just shrugged, and Sebastian bit his lip. "Hey," he said, pulling Blaine away from him. "You really think you have to take this pain?"

Blaine shrugged again, looking away from Sebastian and desperately trying to get his crying under control. "I must've done _something _wrong."

"No," Sebastian shook his head. "Look, I've watched you guys, and all I see is… Kurt drifting further away. And I think you need to talk to him about it because this won't get better. And you _deserve _better, Blaine.

Blaine's gaze seemed to change into something a little warmer, looking at Sebastian for a while like he was coming to a realisation. "You really care about me," he murmured, biting his lip gently. Sebastian smiled. It was the first true thing he'd heard for a little while.

"More than you'd believe, Killer," he replied, trying to come off more aloof than he felt.

"I'm serious," Blaine pressed. "I know you wanna be seen as this… laid back, flirty guy, but you've done so much for me, Bastian," he smiled.

"Same goes for you," Sebastian said quietly. Blaine felt the change in the air, not really knowing how to respond to it.

"I do what I can."

Sebastian smiled. "You said you slept in Kurt's bed last night?"

It suddenly became plain to Blaine, and he looked a little shocked, but that only confirmed it for Sebastian. He didn't know for sure; it was merely an inkling, but the clues were there. He smiled a little more, and Blaine smiled too, the slightest hint of a blush on his face.

"Thank you," Sebastian whispered.

"I wish I could say 'any time', but, Kurt," Blaine replied, and there was something regretful in his expression. Sebastian sighed, looking up at Blaine through his lashes.

"Il ne te mérite pas," he murmured, the sudden seriousness in his eyes telling Blaine that whatever he'd said was important, even if he didn't understand.

"What?" he asked quietly, tilting his head.

Sebastian inhaled a deep breath, edging a little closer and, after slight hesitation, he brought a hand up to caress the side of Blaine's face. "Il ne te mérite pas," he repeated, his voice shaking a little. Blaine was frozen, watching Sebastian with wide eyes and a quickening heartbeat. There was no telling what Sebastian meant, but there was also no shying away from how much he liked the soft intimacy that came with the words. He found himself moving in a little, his tears completely gone now that everything was Sebastian.

"One more time," he whispered, his breath hitching slightly when Sebastian's hand slid across his jaw to cup his cheek. The words left his lips once more, and a tiny, breathy laugh escaped Blaine, looking at Sebastian in wonder.

"Tell me what it means?" he asked, but before he could get an answer Sebastian's gaze suddenly shifted to the door, his guard coming straight back up again. Blaine's head whipped round to see Kurt, standing at the entrance of the kitchen with a face like stone. The atmosphere was gone in a flash.

"Kurt," Blaine said, like he could be bidding him an everyday good morning. Kurt's attention, however, was on his half-brother, who refused to look the least bit caught out or intimidated in Kurt's presence. Instead, he looked back at Blaine and squeezed his shoulder, smiling at him before walking away. When he walked past Kurt, his pace slowed a little just to hold his eye, and Kurt knew instantly what it meant. And by the way Blaine had responded, he knew he had to worry.

"Sebastian," Kurt hissed, trailing after his half-brother. Sebastian came to an immediate halt, turning and raising an eyebrow at Kurt.

"Oh, so were on talking terms, now?"

"What do you think you're playing at?" Kurt asked, his face like thunder. "He is my _boyfriend._"

"Wait, really?" Sebastian asked, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow. "You sure that's still a thing? 'Cause it looks to me like you guys are past your sell by date."

"Telling him I don't deserve him is not appropriate. Or your place to say."

"He didn't understand," Sebastian snapped. "But I'll happily enlighten him."

"Sebastian," Kurt snarled. "What the _hell_ are you playing at?"

"Exactly what you think I am," Sebastian replied, taking a few steps closer to Kurt. "You gonna stop me, Princess?"

"Blaine's loyal to me. And even if we weren't going out, he'd never go for someone as gross as you. God knows where you've been."

"You wanna talk about loyalty?" Sebastian mocked, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "I might be known as the slut_, _but _you're_ the one who seems to struggle with the definition of loyal."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, and enjoy your trip to Washington," Sebastian grinned, walking away from Kurt again towards his room. "Don't worry about us. I'm sure me and Blaine will have _plenty _to do."

With that, he walked away, knowing his last words were more spoken with fury than intention, but he didn't care. He hated how Kurt was okay with what he was doing, even having the nerve to call out Sebastian when for all he'd done, Sebastian had never _cheated _on someone. Granted, he'd never had anyone to cheat on, but still. That was low even for him.

As he reached his room, he couldn't help feel bad for walking away. He was sure Blaine couldn't be feeling great around Kurt, but as he caught himself feeling sympathetic, he remembered it wasn't his place to feel bad. After all, Kurt was Blaine's boyfriend. And Blaine wanted to sort things out between them. But as he thought about their last encounter, he wondered if there was any kind of loophole within Blaine's heart.

He lay back on his bed, his head no clearer than it was when he had left it that morning. He'd heard about moments between people were time stood still, and every single movement played out in slow motion but also somehow too quickly, but he'd never experienced it for himself until then. Maybe he was stupid for letting himself believe that something was there, but he'd been watching Blaine's eyes, and he knew, in that moment, Sebastian was all he was thinking of. The wonder in the other boys gaze was enchanting, and Sebastian would be lying if he denied how hard his heart had been beating.

"Fuck," he whispered, running a hand through his hair. He was past the point where he could just push away anything he felt, now. Something was there. He knew it, and he hated it. He could handle the physical attraction to Blaine, having no moral issue thinking about him and constantly checking him out whenever he so pleased. Even Kurt being there barely caused a flicker of hesitation in his mind. But now this – this was new. Entirely new. He _needed _Blaine, and not just in a sexual way, but in a way where he knew he'd more than miss him if he ever went away, and only his arms around him could really make him feel better. He wondered if he should just turn away, pretend as hard as he could that there was nothing there until he believed it himself and just keep out of Blaine's life, but then – there was Kurt. With or without his growing feelings, Blaine was still stuck in a crumby relationship with a boy that nowhere near deserved him. A boy that treated him like a fool, and broke his heart recklessly, but still had the nerve to call him _boyfriend. _It was for that reason, for Blaine's _happiness, _that Sebastian knew he would fight for him.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: A big thank you to Megan again for helping me, and to you guys for your reviews. I'm sorry for how long this took, some things just happened differently from how I expected so I had to play around. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 13**

The silence was absolutely stifling.

A mere good morning were the only words to pass between Kurt and Blaine, and now there was nothing but deafening quiet, making Blaine incredibly conscious of his own heartbeat. He had no idea what to do, but as far as he could see, there were only two ways – he could pretend like nothing happened, or he could, as Sebastian so badly wanted him to, confront him. But how could he? He could feel Kurt's eyes on him as he sat, still pushing the cereal around his bowl that he was no longer hungry for. He wished he had the strength to confront him, but from all the beating down he'd taken lately, he just wanted a positive. He was in no place to be the stronger man. That, and he was far too afraid of losing Kurt.

The lack of conversation was no help to his state, either, his mind growing less and less on whether or not to confront him, and more on why Kurt was now so eager not to talk to him. Not even a "_how are you?" _ Blaine was sure he was simply not wanted by Kurt, not in any way, and it hurt. He could see no reason for their crumbling relationship, but there it was. It was like his heart in Kurt's hands was an old toy left on a shelf.

"If you want me to leave, just say," he murmured quietly, aware that Kurt had been looking at him for the dragging minutes. When he was met by the same quiet, he had to bite his lip to stop the fresh feeling of pain in his chest, and pushed his bowl away to leave when Kurt finally spoke.

"I don't want you to leave," he said, his voice just as hushed. Blaine finally turned to look at him, confused by the expression on Kurt's face. It was like he thought Blaine was some kind of half trained animal that he wasn't sure would attack him or not. But making sense of it was no help to him – there was still no comfort, or love. Blaine sighed, deciding he had to do something about this. It was clear there'd be no change in Kurt, otherwise.

"Kurt, look. Last night, I –"

"You know I love you, right?"

Blaine stopped, the words suddenly jammed in his throat. He couldn't even say yes to Kurt's question – just stared back at him with wide eyes before looking at the floor.

"Kurt," he tried again, although his voice didn't have the same confidence. "Kurt, I really need you to –"

"Blaine," Kurt interrupted, not covering up the panic on his face as well as he'd have liked. He didn't appear to have any more to say, though; instead, he just stepped towards Blaine, taking his hands into his own and looking at him with that same hesitant expression. Blaine was incredibly confused.

"What are you-?"

Kurt's lips were suddenly on his, and Blaine tried not to gasp, not remembering the last time Kurt had kissed him so passionately. Despite everything, his hands were cupping Kurt's face and his heart was beating faster, even though there was an undertone of frustration. Blaine wasn't stupid. It was clear Kurt was hiding something, and he was just trying to prevent Blaine from speaking, but all he could think was that Kurt was finally kissing him like he wanted him. He let the walls he'd started to build around his heart come down, knowing he was sure to regret it but not caring in the slightest.

"Kurt," Blaine murmured, moving his hand round to cradle Kurt's head when the other boy's mouth trailed along his jaw to his neck, knowing the skin would turn pleasantly red under his lips. As soon as Kurt's hand moved up his chest before coming to stop over his heart, Blaine was putty in his hands, moving his own hand to link with Kurt's and was sure he could feel his heart practically glow. Just for that one, glorious moment, he believed in them again.

When he pulled away, Blaine let their hands drop but refused to let go, smiling happily at Kurt. He felt relieved. He wanted to hold Kurt and laugh and cry about how silly he was.

"Are you ok, honey?" he finally asked, squeezing Blaine's hand. Blaine chuckled, squeezing back and dropping his head onto Kurt's shoulder for a moment.

"I'm great," he told him, pressing a soft kiss to his neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Kurt said, rubbing Blaine's shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Blaine smiled, and with that, Kurt kissed his cheek before moving so Blaine had to straighten back up again. He looked into his eyes and smiled, briefly stroking the side of his face just because he could. Kurt bit his lip, and Blaine frowned before he could stop himself. He didn't want anything to ruin how he was feeling right then.

"I need to talk to you about something" Kurt said, searching Blaine's eyes intently.

"Can it wait?" Blaine asked. Kurt shook his head.

"I want you to know that I'm not mad at you," he began. "But I want you to… distance yourself from Sebastian."

"…What?"

"I know you two have gotten close, but the truth is, he's… He's really manipulative. And selfish. And I think he's trying to use you to piss me off."

"_Use _me?" Blaine repeated, letting go of Kurt's hand. "How can you say that? We're friends, Kurt. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but we get along really well, and I find it hard to believe the relationship we've built up is just to annoy you."

"Honey, it's just… You're not the… You're very kind."

"…I'm not following."

Kurt sighed. "You're very kind, and people take advantage of that. Bad people."

"Sebastian's not a bad person," Blaine growled. "I've really got to know him, Kurt. Maybe you should, too."

"Around you I'm pretty sure he's only 10% Sebastian," Kurt snapped. "You know what he really is? He's the kinda guy who sleeps around, and plays people, and spends his time making other people's lives a misery. But he's hiding that from you. Very strategically."

"Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed, taking a step back. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. I know he's not the dictionary definition of perfect but he's my friend! And I like him just how he is."

Kurt pressed his lips together in a fine line, and Blaine watched as the Kurt he'd become accustomed to over the past weeks began to seep through the mask. He looked away, feeling a fool for thinking it could be fixed that easily.

"Don't you trust me?" he asked, resuming the same position he had earlier that day with his arms wrapped around his body. He didn't like the pause between question and answer.

"It's him I don't trust," Kurt replied. "You know… It's around the time he came along that things started to change between us."

Blaine looked up, almost startled at the accusation and refusing to believe it. "It has nothing to do with Sebastian," he told him.

"Doesn't it?" Kurt took a step closer, and it was all Blaine could do not to back away again. "Think about it. Maybe I've been going out more because I don't wanna see my dreadful half-brother all the stinking time. Maybe I'm tired of his foul mouth. And the way he's using you."

Blaine shook his head, wishing Kurt didn't make sense because he was sure none of what he'd said was true. "You can't pin this on him. Maybe you should try talking to him, Kurt," he suggested. "You're always at each other's throats. You haven't even _tried _reasoning with each other."

"There is no reasoning with him."

"Why?" Blaine asked, still none the wiser on the mystery of their past. Kurt's shoulder's hunched, his arms folded and his eyes anywhere but on Blaine.

"I can't forgive him for what he did. I don't know how dad can, but I can't."

"What did he do?"

Kurt looked at him for a moment, and Blaine could see the struggle in his eyes. "Nothing," he said. "Don't worry about it. And if you must stay friends with Sebastian, just don't sleep with him."

With that, Kurt turned and walked away, shaking Blaine off when he attempted to reach out for his hand. The other boy was left in his wake, trying to get to grips with the hot and cold attitude but to no avail. All he felt was used. His frustration and sadness was enough to make him feel sick, and without hardly thinking about it, he spoke again.

"Where did you go last night?" he blurted out, causing Kurt to totally freeze in his tracks. The blue eyed boy turned around, looking at Blaine in such a piercing way he was sure he could literally feel the gaze go through him. He'd never seen that expression on Kurt, before. He'd seen him look guilty, but this was something else. This was a panic, a fear, a loophole he didn't see coming in a well-constructed plan. Blaine hated the lump growing in his throat, the way the tension was making the walls close in. He needed Kurt to say something. Even if it was a lie. So he could tell himself that what he read in Kurt's expression was far from the truth.

Kurt made his way back towards him, taking Blaine's hands back into his own. The look on his face was much more concentrated, now, and Blaine just couldn't ask, even training his own expression so there was no confusion there. Kurt lent in slower this time, before pressing his lips against Blaine's so tenderly it was like he could break. He wound his arms around him, holding him close, and there was something so reserved about it it was almost as though Kurt was silently asking for forgiveness. Experimentally, Blaine kissed back, and the guard immediately faded from Kurt, sighing into the kiss like some huge relief washed over him.

"I love you," Kurt whispered after breaking the kiss and leaning their foreheads together. Blaine's arms were still at his sides, but Kurt's arms were wrapped around him. The realisation was slowly looming over him.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Blaine asked, his own eyes opening to look straight into Kurt's.

"I love you," he repeated, and Blaine sighed, slipping out from under Kurt's arms and walking away. He realised, with a confused heart, that as long as Kurt had secrets, he'd always be good to him. But with the self-worth feeling he'd gained thanks to Sebastian, and accepting that love didn't mean suffering so you could hang on to something, he could hold his head up and say nothing. Just like Kurt had done to him.

* * *

"Nicky?"

"Hmm?"

"Nicky," Jeff repeated, galloping over to his best friend with an envelope between both his hands. He continued saying his best friend's name over and over as he approached him, until eventually Nick had to sit up to slap a hand over his mouth to shut him up. Jeff grinned, poking his tongue out to lick Nick's hand so that the other boy winced away in shock, pouting and wiping his hand on his jeans while Jeff just smirked triumphantly.

"Nicky," he said, earning a glare. "Can you please tell me why Mr Blaine Anderson has received a letter to your address?"

Nick frowned for a moment, still feeling groggy from his state of laying down and dozing, but suddenly remembered and snatched the letter from Jeff's hands. Jeff folded his arms, raising his eyebrows and silently demanding an explanation.

"Jeffy," Nick sighed, trying to tug him down. Whereas Nick had been lying splayed out on a blanket in his own back garden all morning, Jeff was like an excitable puppy, and Nick just didn't get it – he felt far too tired in the heat. Jeff remained standing, though, smirking at Nick's feeble attempts to bring him down to ground level with him.

"You'll have to make me," he grinned, but immediately fell to the floor when Nick just shrugged and poked the back of his knees. Jeff huffed, flicking the hair out of his face. "Mean."

"You made me go to extreme lengths, so I took them."

"You didn't even _try!_"

"What can I say – you're easy," Nick shrugged, smiling lazily at Jeff. Jeff raised an eyebrow, biting his lip as he contemplated a comeback but found himself distracted when Nick's eyes dropped to his mouth. He licked across his bottom lip and smiled; he'd been playing this game with Nick for a little while, now, since talking to Sebastian. Just small things, like lingering touches or 'accidently' sounding suggestive, but every tiny reaction he got from Nick in return made his heart beat faster. He knew Nick must be thinking about him, and eventually, they'd have to talk about it. But for now, Jeff just shrugged it off like all the other times.

"So, what's the letter about?"

"Are you gonna run off as soon as I tell you? You're wearing me out, Jeff. You should stay here, 'kay?"

"I promise I won't?" Jeff said, shuffling closer and resting his head on Nick's shoulder so he could look up at him through his lashes. Finally, he earned a chuckle from his best friend, and a wide grin covered his own face. Despite complaints about the heat, Nick made no comment when Jeff wrapped his arms around his waist. "Tell me?"

"Okay," Nick smiled. "Basically, Sebastian secretly sent an application to a summer school Blaine really wanted to go to, but he wouldn't apply because Kurt didn't want him to."

"Then why is it here?" Jeff asked, puzzled.

"Well, if he sent it to Kurt's address and Kurt found a letter addressed to his boyfriend, he'd know something was up."

"Ah," Jeff nodded, looking at the letter with a small smile. "That's clever."

"Mm. But there's no telling what Blaine's gonna say to Sebastian when he finds out what he did."

"He'll love it," Jeff shrugged. "That's adorable."

"It is kinda adorable," Nick agreed with a small sigh. "But if Blaine goes the other way about this, it could have serious repercussions on Sebastian."

"Blaine's not like that, Nicky."

"No, I know he won't be a dick about it… It's just, if Seb gets rejected, he might take it a little harder."

"He's _Sebastian,_" Jeff pointed out, tilting his head a little more. "He's not like that. He's a fighter."

"But he also doesn't like getting things wrong."

"I don't think he's wrong about this," Jeff smiled. Nick looked at him for a moment, unable not to admire his best friend's optimism. "Can we open it?"

"No, Jeffy," Nick told him. "It's not our business."

"Seb won't mind," Jeff pouted. "We'll probably find out anyway."

"Exactly."

"Nickyyyyy, you're no fun," Jeff whined, reaching out for the letter just to have it moved away from him. Nick shook his head, a small smirk on his lips.

"I'm not handing it over, Sterling," he teased, holding it further away from him when Jeff took another swipe for it. The blonde raised his eyebrows, and Nick realised a little too late that his best friend saw his comment as a challenge. He attempted to scramble away, but Jeff used the opportunity to swing one leg over Nick and pin him down, holding his wrists on the ground above his head. Nick just looked up at him, experimentally trying to move him off but Jeff kept him there with a grin.

There was no denying the brunette had completely lost focus of what was happening, but Jeff hadn't. Slowly, he leaned forward, etching closer to Nick who was completely frozen under Jeff's grip. Even his heart had stopped. Jeff let the grin slide off his face, boring his gaze into Nick's and drinking in the anticipation staring back at him. Nick could feel Jeff's breath on his lips, and his own breathing came out shaky, looking down at Jeff's mouth and back up again like he couldn't quite believe what was happening. His hand curled around nothing, desperately wanting to brush the blonde bangs out of Jeff's face, but even if he wasn't pinned down, he wasn't sure he could move. Everything was just Jeff, and a gorgeous smile suddenly spread across the lips he'd been paying so much attention to before with minimal effort, Jeff caught the envelope between his fingers.

As quick as that, Jeff was gone, the envelope in his hands being torn open as he sat cross legged beside Nick, who was still lying where Jeff had him. His eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy, curling his free hands into fists as he tried to get a grip on what was happening.

"He got in," Jeff gasped, skimming through the letter before turning to Nick and beaming. Nick's cheeks were tinged pink, but he smiled back, wordlessly pulling Jeff down to ground level with him and laying his head on his chest. Jeff was a little surprised, having been the one making all the first moves since talking to Sebastian, but nonetheless, he wound an arm around Nick. It wasn't like they hadn't cuddled like this before, but this suddenly felt more intimate, and it was Jeff's turn to blush. His eyes closed, and his heart swelled so much it was almost painful. He could only hope Nick's actions weren't all in his head.

"We need to tell Sebastian about the letter," Jeff mumbled, although his grip on Nick didn't lessen at all.

"Later," Nick replied. "Let's just stay like this for a while, love."

Jeff opened his eyes to look at Nick, the pet name taking him by surprise. He was unsure if Nick was just a little careless in the heat or if it was merely a slip of the tongue, but he didn't want to question it. He just let himself smile, knowing he'd remember the day they had in the sun where they were all that was important in the world. The first day Nick ever called him "love".

* * *

Sebastian was trying his best to stay calm. After his third cigarette and a long, hot shower, he felt like his head was as clear as it was ever going to be, and the rest was just going to have to be the put on, fake composure he often had to resort to. It was okay, though – he knew it could be much worse. At least he wasn't actually in Blaine's situation, a thought he immediately felt guilty for when he saw the boy all alone in the living room, looking far too contemplative for his liking. He wondered if he'd spoken to Kurt, or if they'd spoken at all, but he simply couldn't handle a full on heart to heart right then. Instead, he wandered in with a smile, his hair messy while it was still drying from his shower. Blaine couldn't help but smile back at him.

"You're looking tense, Killer," Sebastian quipped, walking in and leaning on the arm of a sofa. "Kurt not taking care of you?"

"I know that's meant to be a joke, but 'taking care' of each other is another part of our relationship that's been… neglected," Blaine replied, shrugging. Sebastian raised his eyebrows, still not in the place to get emotional.

"The hickey on your neck is calling your bluff, Anderson," he smirked. "Unless there's someone you're not telling me about?"

Blaine chuckled, but just shook his head. Sebastian watched him for a moment, hating how tense and almost worthless Blaine's stance appeared to be. There was something on his mind, but Sebastian didn't want to deal with words right now. He had a better idea.

"Come here," he said, standing up straight and gesturing to the end of the sofa. Blaine looked up at him and frowned, but wordlessly did as he was told.

"Face away from me," Sebastian instructed, earning another frown of confusion.

"Why?" Blaine asked, though he continued to oblige.

"Well, like I said, you look tense," Sebastian explained, laying his hands on Blaine's shoulders and tracing a line across his back. "And I know a few things that can help that. There's sex, which is my personal favourite but I'm guessing Kurt wouldn't be too happy with that. There's a hard work out, but let's be honest – you don't need it." Blaine chuckled, and Sebastian was sure if he could see his face he'd be blushing. "Then there's a massage."

"You're gonna give me a massage?"

"The best one you ever had," Sebastian told him, finally positioning his hands properly and pressing his fingers and thumbs against Blaine's shoulders. Blaine immediately fell silent, and despite the intention to relax him, he tensed up even more, hunching his shoulders which only meant Sebastian had to push harder. Eventually, he began to worry he was doing Blaine more harm than relaxation, and had to stop, curious as to why Blaine was fighting it.

"You know, it'll be better for you if you relax," Sebastian murmured, stopping in favour of tracing nothingness patterns across Blaine's back. Blaine still didn't un-tense; just looked down as though he was embarrassed. He mumbled something, but Sebastian didn't catch a word of it.

"Come again?"

"I don't wanna… I-I'll… I might… I might make noises."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, trying hard not to laugh. "You're nervous because you might make noises?"

"Like, reeeeally embarrassing noises. In fact, I know I will."

"It's just me, Blaine," Sebastian pointed out, dropping his hands. "And I'm the most laid back guy I know."

"I'll sound like an amateur porn star," Blaine mumbled. Sebastian couldn't help but laugh at that.

"It's not unusual, Blaine. People enjoy massages. That's the point."

"Promise you won't laugh at me?" Blaine asked, turning to look up at Sebastian with wide eyes. Sebastian smiled wider, resting his hands back on Blaine's shoulders.

"I promise," he said. "Cross my heart."

"…Okay," Blaine nodded, turning back and forcing himself to relax. Sebastian moved his hands again, much more successfully now that Blaine was letting it happen. If he was honest with himself, he _wanted _to hear Blaine make those noises. Truthfully, it wasn't uncommon for people to make sounds of perfect content, but some were definitely more vocal than others, and it definitely depended on the quality of the massage. Sebastian knew he was good, but that didn't mean it was good enough for Blaine. For a while, he was working the tension from his shoulders with nothing but a few relaxed sighs escaping Blaine, and he was sure that was all he was going to get. But as he went on, perfectly happy to make Blaine feel good for as long as he wanted, the both of them were taken by surprise when a long, beautifully clear moan slipped past Blaine's lips. Sebastian swallowed, continuing and pressing harder when Blaine tried to tense up again.

"Relax," he whispered, pressing harder and causing another almost-whimper of content. Blaine did as he was told, and Sebastian smirked, moving his lips just a little closer to Blaine's ear before speaking again. "If you wanna feel really good, I can do your whole back," he murmured. "But I'd need you face down on the floor."

"That sounds awfully suggestive," Blaine replied, and Sebastian smirked.

"Maybe I meant it to."

Blaine turned around to look at Sebastian, whose expression didn't waver but he could see something crossing Blaine's mind. He didn't know how to reassure him in that moment he wasn't going to do anything untoward, so he just moved his hand to squeeze Blaine's arm, his smirk softening into a small smile.

"Trust me?" Sebastian asked, his voice smaller than he'd ever heard it himself. Blaine smiled nodding and getting up straight away, ready to lie down on the floor as Sebastian had told him before he was stopped.

"It's better if your shirt's off," Sebastian told him, fiddling with the edges of Blaine's t-shirt. "I'll take mine off too, if it'll make you feel better."

"Sebastian," Blaine stuttered, obviously flustered. "This all seems… This is all just… so…"

"My intentions aren't bad," Sebastian said seriously, his arms falling back to his sides. "I'm being honest when I say I just wanna make you feel good. In the sense of making you unstressed. And that's it. I swear on my coffee addiction."

Blaine chuckled slightly, feeling a little guilty for letting himself jump to the conclusions of everyone else. "Okay," Blaine said. "But you take yours off, too. I don't see the point in you wearing a shirt sometimes when I'm sure you don't wear one more often than you do, anyway," he chuckled, before blushing vividly. "Not that you… I'm not saying you _have _to wear a shirt, it's just – I mean, not that I mind you not… But I don't… I-"

"Blaine," Sebastian cut in. "I'll take mine off, too."

"…Cool," Blaine smiled, immediately pulling his shirt over his head like he just wanted to get it over and done with. Sebastian didn't break eye contact when he copied his actions, and Blaine felt flustered again, spinning round and lying on the floor straight away. Sebastian chuckled, taking a cushion off the sofa and propping it under Blaine's head.

"It's like you're determined to be uncomfortable," Sebastian muttered, kneeling down beside Blaine before biting his lip and swinging one leg over, straddling him. "Is this okay?" he asked quietly, leaning forwards. Blaine just nodded, his arms loosely curled in front of him and his eyes softly closed. Sebastian didn't miss the frown, though, and he couldn't help but feel guilty – he was afraid of laying it on too thick.

He swallowed, dismissing the unsure thoughts and rubbing his hands together to warm them up more. When he finally began, applying pressure in vertical strokes up Blaine's back, Blaine sighed immediately, and Sebastian wondered if he'd been secretly growing impatient. He smiled, kneading his knuckles along his lower back while his eyes watched him carefully for traces of discomfort.

"You'll let me know if I'm hurting you, right?"

"You're not," Blaine replied, his voice already lazy sounding. Sebastian continued, working along his upper back and making sure not to fall into a routine so Blaine couldn't get used to it. Every noise he conjured from Blaine was like a wordless form of praise, and he was glad to see how he'd become so comfortable around him so quickly, but was beginning to get distracted – his eyes were getting more and more drawn to the birthmark on Blaine's back, and he broke the massage just for a moment to trace the outline of it. For a reason he couldn't explain, he was hypnotised by the mark, and even when he returned to his original agenda his gaze was taken by it. He wasn't sure what it was about it; maybe it was how it was almost proof that Blaine wasn't the well composed person he always strived to be. But nonetheless, it was an imperfection, and Sebastian was sure he was taking too much of a fancy to it.

"You keep stopping," Blaine complained, though any anger in his voice was lost the second he opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry," Sebastian chuckled. "I keep looking at your birthmark."

"Oh," Blaine said sadly, tensing up again. Sebastian kneaded the top of his back firmly, already sure without asking that this had something to do with Kurt.

"What is it?"

"My birthmark," Blaine began. "Just… People don't like it."

"People being Kurt?"

"…Yes."

Sebastian sighed, trying to concentrate on the massage so he didn't get angry again. "Kurt's wrong."

"That doesn't make sense," Blaine pointed out, before another moan followed his words. Sebastian swallowed, pushing his hands in opposite directions and wishing Blaine's noises alone weren't enough to start causing him problems.

"Kurt's an idiot," he tried. "Did you guys manage to talk?"

"Mhmm," Blaine replied, struggling to talk at a normal rate. "But he wouldn't tell me anything."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Mmm. Basically… When I tried to bring it up… All he would say to me… is "I love you"… and kiss me… So I… just walked away."

"He's hiding something from you."

"Yeah," Blaine said, like he could be talking about something far less important than his own relationship. "And I think… The only reason he was being so… affectionate…" he took a moment to sigh longingly at what Sebastian was doing with his hands. "Was because he wanted… to compromise… his silence with affection."

"You can't let him do that, Blaine."

"Mmm, I know. Walked away from him. Haven't spoken since."

"Good."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed, sighing again before moaning, "_Sebastian._"

The boy in question almost stopped, his face flooding with colour but his hands searching for more ways to make him say his name like that again. After a couple more moans, and an extremely blissed out "_Oh God_", Sebastian found he had to stop, his hands just resting on Blaine's shoulders. Slowly, he moved down closer to Blaine's back, his fingers lightly trailing down Blaine's spine before letting himself massage close enough to Blaine's ass to make him gasp. There, he stopped again, hands resting on Blaine's hips.

"Bastian," Blaine whimpered, and Sebastian swallowed thickly. It may have been completely unintentional, but Blaine was driving him crazy.

"Blaine," Sebastian purred, tracing down his spine again. "I think we have to leave it there."

"Why?" Blaine asked, as Sebastian's finger came to a stop on his birthmark again.

"Because if we keep going, I'm going to end up doing something I may regret," he told him, tracing round the edge of the mark again. He could tell Blaine was confused, but he held him in place just for a moment, bending down and just barely pressing his lips against the darkened skin of his birthmark. It was the smallest touch, but Blaine inhaled deeply, and Sebastian knew he couldn't shy away.

"For the record," he murmured, "I like your birthmark."

Blaine didn't say anything – just turned were he lay so he was facing Sebastian and looked up at him, his eyes looking a little greener than usual. For the first time in a while, Sebastian felt paranoid, aware that if Blaine's eyes lowered he'd be aware just how much the noises he'd made had affected him. But it was like even without looking, Blaine already knew, and the soft smile on his lips immediately forgave him. He reached up to brush the hair out of Sebastian's face, but Sebastian caught his hand in his own, not tearing his gaze away from Blaine's as he linked their fingers together. Blaine's eyes searched his face, and Sebastian knew he was searching for the right thing to do, but he wouldn't find it on Sebastian. He was so completely torn, but he was sure he wasn't making up the desire he could see in Blaine's expression, and it'd be so easy to lean down and kiss him. He brushed a stray curl away from Blaine's eyes, silently begging him to make him do the right thing. Sebastian wasn't a good person. He was selfish, and slutty, and completely screwed up. But Blaine didn't care. Sweet, perfect Blaine didn't care at all. Even though he knew Sebastian had secrets, that he was nowhere near perfect, here he was. Doing more than just accept him.

"Blaine," he whispered, his voice begging but he wasn't sure what for. Blaine looked back up at him, running his thumb across Sebastian's hand and feeling the same strong sense of confusion. "Blaine," Sebastian repeated, tightening his grip on Blaine's hand. "Please make me do the right thing."

"How do you know you're not doing the right thing?" Blaine asked, but Sebastian couldn't see what he was getting at.

"I ruin everything I touch," Sebastian told him. "But I can't ruin this. I _can't. _Please, Blaine."

Blaine looked at him a little longer, before finally, he just smiled like he had everything under control. Sitting up, he let go of Sebastian's hand so he could wrap his arms around his torso, leaving the taller boy to hug his shoulders and hold him close. They didn't say anything for a while, and Sebastian was afraid that it was too late – that Blaine was trying to think of how to tell him they were already ruined. When his voice finally came, Sebastian was an anxious wreck.

"You won't ruin this, Bastian," Blaine murmured softly, and Sebastian's eyes closed, relief flooding through him. "You're my best friend."

Sebastian felt something in his chest drop, but while they stayed like that, he started to realise just what that meant; he was important to Blaine. Maybe one of the most important people in his life. And Sebastian's flaws didn't hinder that at all. He sighed, squeezing him and wondering where the sense of almost defeat had come from.

"You're mine, too," he smiled, realising he'd never had someone to call a 'best friend' before. When Blaine finally pulled away, he half expected him to get up and leave him to his thoughts, but he merely moved to the sofa, patting the spot next to him when Sebastian turned to look at him.

"I wanna watch a movie," he explained with a shrug, pulling his t-shirt back over his head. "The Avengers, to be precise. Superheroes are kinda my guilty pleasure."

"You need me here to watch it with you?" Sebastian teased, sliding on his own shirt as he moved to sit next to him anyway, undeniably grateful he didn't have to sit there alone and reflect. "Are all the loud noises too scary for you?"

"Please," Blaine scoffed. "I just need to judge whether you're more of a Thor or Loki fan. I for one am I Loki lover. His tortured soul gives me feelings."

Sebastian laughed fondly, his heart beating harder for a different reason now as Blaine let himself easily rest in the crook of Sebastian's shoulder, almost forcing the other boy to put his arm around him. The movie started with a few clicks of the remote, and the two of them sat in comfortable silence while the hectic opening scene of what had to be one of Sebastian's favourite movies played out, the odd comment passing between them now and then. It was the simplest thing, but Sebastian found it hard not to smile, having never really done anything like this with a person, either. It only added to his happiness to see that nearly every time he stole a glance at Blaine, he was glancing back.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"You know, just because you work in a garage it doesn't mean it's acceptable to look like you dunked yourself in a can of oil _all the time._"

Sebastian sighed, walking straight past Burt into the garage as he wiped over his forehead. Burt had a point; his overalls were so dirty it was as though he'd given up on work and just rolled across the garage floor multiple times, but when he had to work in such overbearing heat, he couldn't bring himself to care.

"At least there's less chance of people knowing we're related this way," Sebastian jibbed, grabbing a bottle of water off the side before chugging it down. He really had to respect Burt's patience with him, watching as the man reformed whatever snapping words were on the tip of his tongue.

"Presentation is important no matter what you do."

"You and Kurt are more similar than everyone thinks, huh?"

"Besides," Burt continued. "You never usually walk around looking like a mess. Why you so set on it, now?"

"Because I'm a hot mess," Sebastian shrugged, smiling when Burt just sighed and walked away. He reached up to stretch out right to his fingertips, taking his time knowing that all he had left to do afterwards was _work, _when he heard very feminine sounding footsteps approaching. Knowing it was likely to be a customer, he looked for the nearest propped up car he could roll under, still very reluctant to deal with people. However, he stopped short when he recognised the dark haired, tanned skinned girl walking straight towards him.

"Since when do you work for baby face Hummel's dad, Smythe?" Santana asked, twirling her car keys between her fingers. Sebastian raised his eyebrows, grabbing a cloth off the side to wipe his hands off with.

"Oh, we go way back," he told her. "You could say he's like a father to me."

"I could, except I like Burt. Why would I insult him like that?"

"I don't have time to deal with you daddy fetish, Santana," Sebastian smirked, walking through the garage to start the services he'd been asked to do. "I hope you have a reason for bothering me with your presence?"

"It's sweet that you think I'm here to see you," Santana quipped, "but I'm not. In fact, you're the last person I wanna see. If what I got from Kurt is right, you're causing problems in gay pony paradise."

"I'll do anything not to be a part of that pony metaphor."

"I'm serious, Smythe," Santana warned, stepping closer to him. Sebastian just rose an eyebrow, refusing to look the least bit worried about Santana's threats. "Leave Pinkie Pie and his puppy alone."

Sebastian looked even more sceptical, more amused than scared. "Pinkie Pie, Santana?"

"It's from My Little Pony," Santana mumbled, dropping her gaze. "Britt makes me watch it."

"Right," Sebastian smirked. "I think I like my chances against _Pinkie Pie. _Thanks."

"What are you planning on doing?"

"I'm not," Sebastian told her. "Me and Blaine are good friends, now, and Kurt's sad because he doesn't want Blaine to play with anyone else."

"You're lying."

Sebastian laughed, turning away from her as he worked on fixing the hubcap back onto a car's tyres. "Right. Because I've always gotta have a plan. Because I have nothing better to do with my time then play a villain to everyone's daily lives."

"Looks that way."

"Believe what you want, Santana. And go believe it somewhere else, if you'd be so kind. You're not really distracting me as such but it's stressful knowing I have company to entertain."

"Listen up, Sebastian," Santana spat. "Back off or I will raise hell. I've gotten the better of you before and I will do it again."

"Is your summer really that boring?"

"I'm glad you think this is a joke. Because when it pings back on you and hits you square in the ego, I'll be the one laughing."

"I'm not the bad guy," Sebastian said, looking up at Santana and shaking his head. "And you can think what you want, and Kurt can think what he wants, but as long as Blaine knows that? I'm set. And he does know, so your threats are futile. Have fun with Pinkie Pie!"

"This isn't over," Santana told him, holding his gaze for a moment before walking towards the house. As soon as she was out of ear shot, Sebastian sighed, continuing his work but with a load on his mind. Kurt was literally planning something. He was that threatened by Sebastian that he had to call in help from _Santana Lopez, _one of the few people who had, admittedly, bettered Sebastian once before. However, that was over regionals. Just a silly spat over a silly competition. But this was over Blaine.

Sebastian refused to lose.

* * *

A whole day had gone by, and the conversation between Kurt and Blaine had dried up considerably. The evening Blaine realised there was something up with him, he'd resorted to sleeping on the couch, doing all he could not to feel so hurt by the way Kurt didn't even question it. There was no way to resolve this until they talked, but that appeared to be the last thing Kurt wanted to do. He just wanted to go about life pretending nothing had changed, which was why when he approached Blaine the next day from behind and wound his arms around his waist, Blaine was barely even surprised.

"We should go out later."

"What?" Blaine asked, shaking his head and not even turning around to look at him. "I'm not sure I can really go anywhere with you until you actually talk to me."

"About what?"

Blaine bit the inside of his lip, refusing to get angry and just moving away from the coffee he was making. Kurt trailed after him, apparently genuinely curious.

"Okay, you wanna know what I wanna talk about?" Kurt nodded, and Blaine continued. "I wanna talk about the other night, when I woke up and-"

"Blaine…"

"See? That's what I wanna talk about," Blaine said, breezing past Kurt to pick up his coffee from the counter. "You won't even let me finish that sentence. Why, Kurt?"

Kurt sighed, leaning back against a counter like it was all just a big bout of stress for him. "Why do you expect me to listen to you when you won't listen to me?"

"I always listen to you," Blaine countered, finally looking at Kurt with a frown. "And if we're keeping score I definitely think I win on the listening front."

"Can you stop attacking me?" Kurt asked, standing up straighter. "I told you before, the reason why things are different. It's because of _him._"

"I can't believe you're doing this," Blaine mumbled, shaking his head and resuming his routine even though he was running out of things to do. "For starters, that wasn't even my question. But you also… You can't put the blame on him, Kurt, not when the two of you are rarely in the same room together. Even if he did want to cause problems, it's not like you gave him the chance. But he wouldn't, Kurt! He cares about me."

"Yeah, he does. About as much as he cares about his ego. And his penis."

"_Kurt!_" Blaine exclaimed, his expression verging on disgusted. "Can you stop talking about him like that? You're as bad as everyone else, and you're his _brother._"

"_Half-_brother," Kurt corrected bitterly. "And maybe that's enough reason to trust me, Blaine! _Because _of our unfortunate relation. He'll 'care' about you as long as you're any help to him."

"He's my best friend," Blaine murmured. "He wouldn't. And you're still avoiding my question."

Kurt just stared at him, his mouth twisted like there was some vile taste in his mouth. "Best friend?"

Blaine nodded, holding his tongue against another accusation of Kurt avoiding the topic. "I'm not your best friend, Blaine?" Kurt asked. The shorter boy couldn't help but laugh, not at all maliciously but more out of fondness.

"I guess I'm lucky enough to have two," he shrugged, a happy smile on his face. Kurt raised his eyebrow for a moment, clearly sceptical about something but brushing it off.

"Alright, but I don't doubt that he's got more than friendship on his mind."

"Just stop, okay? You haven't even given him a chance. He deserves that."

"No, he doesn't."

Blaine scowled. "You wanna tell me why?"

"No."

"Fine," Blaine shrugged. "Then tell me where you went the other night."

Kurt sighed, suddenly seeming defeated like he'd been holding up an entirely different fight the whole time. It all seemed slightly dramatic, but on seeing he was getting somewhere, Blaine gave him a chance.

"I went on a drive."

Blaine just stared at him, that being the last answer he'd expected. "A _drive?_" he repeated, his eyebrows furrowing together. Kurt nodded, his eyes on the floor as he lent further back on the counter.

"All that stuff you said about our relationship," he mumbled, looking very vulnerable. "It made me think. And… You're right, Blaine, things have changed between us. The notion of it kept me up. When I realised how we hadn't done just the simplest things in such a long time… I felt terrible. So I went on a drive, to clear my head."

Blaine swallowed guiltily, taking a few steps closer and beginning to feel like a terrible person. "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.

"Because of all that stuff you said," Kurt told him. "You were set on whatever it was you had in your mind. You were _accusing _me of something, and then I tried to make it better, remind you I love you and try to bring back the closeness to show our problems didn't matter, but you just _had _to know. You don't trust me anymore."

"Of course I do," Blaine implored gently, stepping even closer and taking Kurt's hands in his own. "I'm sorry I made you feel like that. Really, I am. I had no idea… I wasn't accusing you, Kurt, but when you were so bent on not telling me, I just got scared. I didn't get why."

"Well, you do now, right?" Kurt asked, biting his lip and boring his gaze into Blaine's. There was something in his eyes that demanded forgiveness, and it was all Blaine could do not to comment or shy away.

"I do," Blaine smiled. "But next time you feel like this, or something happens, just talk to me? These last few days have been stressful."

"I know. I'm sorry. We'll work on that, okay?" Without waiting for a reply, Kurt leaned forward to kiss him, taking his time now that he knew Blaine wasn't thinking untrusting thoughts of Kurt. His hand came up to cup his jaw, and Blaine had to break the kiss to laugh happily as he realised he was finally getting the thing he wanted. However, something about it just didn't seem right, and although he smiled and saw Kurt smiling back at him, there was a niggling in the back of his mind. He realised something else had changed, and that maybe, this had nothing to do with Kurt at all. But whatever it was, it made him second guess if what he had now, which was once perfection to him, was what he really wanted.

* * *

Dinner time felt weird for Blaine.

It wasn't like there was anything obviously wrong. They'd ordered in pizza since Burt had been working all day and Kurt simply refused to cook again. That, and he and Blaine had spent a great portion of the afternoon in Kurt's bed, taking heavy advantage of the fact Burt was overlooking Sebastian in the garage to make sure he was okay managing the place when Burt and Kurt left for Washington. There'd be others to come in and help, of course, but Sebastian was much newer than any of them.

That was the thing that was missing from the table, though – Sebastian. Blaine hadn't seen him all day, and despite the bubbly, happy conversation between Kurt and Burt, Blaine couldn't help himself from staring at the empty seat across from him. He hated that they'd started without him, that they hadn't even commented on the absence of the other boy, and Blaine quickly decided to excuse himself to look for him.

"I'll be right back," he said, only earning a small nod of acknowledgement from them both as they continued their conversation. Blaine swept out of the room, repressing the urge to run up the stairs as he headed for Sebastian's room and waited quietly outside the door for a moment, seeing if he could hear anything. When no obvious evidence of life came, he knocked a few times on the door and let himself in. He immediately spotted Sebastian sprawled out on the bed, reading a book Blaine recognised as the second novel from The Hunger Games series. He smiled, silently admiring Sebastian's taste.

"Hey, Bastian," he said softly. The boy in question lowered his book, and Blaine was struck by how cold Sebastian's eyes seemed.

"Hey," Sebastian replied simply. Blaine swallowed, feeling the frown grow on his face before deciding he wasn't just going to accept this, and clambered onto Sebastian's bed, stopping when he was right next to him.

"You're not eating?" Blaine asked, leaning his head on his shoulder. He could feel Sebastian swallow thickly, and it got harder and harder not to wince at the unfamiliar chill.

"I guess I'm not hungry."

"Bastian," Blaine murmured, tilting Sebastian's head towards his so he had to look him in the eye. "Are you ok?"

Sebastian nodded, but his gaze dropped. "It's just a bad day. I'll be alright tomorrow."

"Bas?"

"Hmm?"

"Talk to me?"

Sebastian looked back up, knowing he couldn't possibly tell Blaine what was on his mind. How he'd heard him and Kurt having sex far too in detail for his liking, and that would be just fine if it hadn't meant Blaine had forgiven him. How Kurt could even do that when he was having sex with another guy, and by having Blaine come so close to finding out the truth only for him to recoil made the hazel eyed boy out to be an even bigger fool. How Sebastian's urge to close off was even stronger now that Blaine seemed so close to him only yesterday, and so far away now. How this was starting to become the worst summer ever.

But now Blaine was here, it felt like there was the smallest glimmer of hope. No, not small. He suddenly realised how stupid he was to think like that. That was exactly what Kurt wanted. He was new to this, to _feelings, _but when it came to Blaine, he had to persevere. Even if the odds _weren't _in his favour.

"Sebastian?" Blaine asked, having watched the small changes in his expression while he thought the situation over.

"Your eyelashes are so long, they've literally tangled together."

"What?"

"I'm serious," Sebastian grinned, leaning a little closer. "Can't you feel that? That must be annoying."

"They do get stuck together, sometimes," Blaine blushed, dropping his head down and pulling at the skin around his eye so that his eyelashes would come free. Sebastian chuckled, his gazed fixed on where there were now two loose eyelashes balancing on top of the rest.

"Close your eyes," he murmured, and Blaine did straight away. He smiled for a moment, just shocked at how much Blaine trusted him, before he delicately brushed his finger along Blaine's eyelashes, collecting the two loose ones on his finger. Blaine's eyes opened as soon as Sebastian's touch left his eyelashes, watching him curiously. Sebastian blushed under his gaze, and reached for Blaine's hand so he could drop the tiny hairs into his palm. Blaine smiled, gazing down at them as though he'd just received a gift.

"There's one for both of us."

"Hmm?" Sebastian asked, tilting his head.

"One eyelash each," Blaine said. "So we can both make a wish."

Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle again, biting his lip and looking at Blaine fondly. "You can keep mine," he told him, still smiling in amusement. "I can't rely on wishes, personally."

Blaine's eyes looked sad for a moment, and with his free hand, he took Sebastian's, opening it out and dropping one of the eyelashes into his palm. "Believe in something silly every once in a while," he said, folding Sebastian's fingers over the eyelash so he couldn't drop it. He let his own hand linger over Sebastian's, making the other boy blush harder. "I don't know what's happened in your life, Bas, but I can tell it's not been great. So put your faith in something silly? 'Cause that way, you never have to fully grow up, you know? And if it comes true, you get that childish happiness that makes you smile at simple things. And if it doesn't, it doesn't matter," he shrugged, smiling. "Make a wish. Then blow it away."

Sebastian smiled, but for some reason, he felt nervous. "I dunno. It just seems-"

"Silly," Blaine grinned, before holding his palm out and looking at the eyelash for a moment before blowing it away. "Now you."

"What did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you that! It won't come true!"

"You're an idiot," Sebastian teased, looking down at the eyelash in his hand but still feeling really weird about it. Without saying anything, Blaine linked his fingers through Sebastian's free hand, leaning his head on his shoulder and looking up at him.

"Please, Bas?" he said, and Sebastian was sure that was completely unfair. He sighed, wondering why his heart had swelled so much and why he felt so much better with Blaine's hand in his. He couldn't help but think Blaine had at least an inkling of the effect he had on him, as he stroked his thumb softy up and down Sebastian's hand and didn't move his gaze from his face.

"I don't know what to wish for," he whispered.

"Wish for your heart's biggest desire?" Blaine suggested, smiling almost excitedly.

Sebastian didn't even have to think about that, although he felt guilty for a split second that it wasn't to do with his home situation or his dad. Those were things that had been and gone, though, and this was now. He stayed looking at Blaine, drawing in a shuddery breath as he thought his wish so loudly in his own mind he wondered if Blaine could hear. Finally, he blew the eyelash away, a blush burning brightly on his face. Blaine's smile grew slightly, but his eyes looked even more contemplative. If he knew, Sebastian thought, it was ok – as long as he didn't hate him for it.

"You know, there's a good chance you blew the eyelash onto my face," Blaine muttered, a teasing glint in his eye.

"That's okay," Sebastian grinned.

"You're blushing," Blaine pointed out.

"It's a hot day," Sebastian protested, cocking his eyebrow ever so slightly.

"You're _blushing._"

Sebastian shrugged. "_Tu es mignon_," he said, and Blaine smiled triumphantly, remembering what that meant from last time. _You're cute._

"_Et tu," _Blaine said, his own French not fantastic but knowing enough to say _and you. _"Especially when you're blushing and you're trying to act like you're not."

"Maybe I'm having a hot flush," Sebastian teased. "Maybe I'm ill. Maybe tomorrow I won't wake up and then you'll have to feel bad for putting it down to something like _blushing._"

Blaine pouted, letting go of Sebastian's hand so he could curl his arm around his middle. "Then don't be so mean as to die on me?"

"You spoil all my fun," he joked, leaning his head against Blaine's. It was quiet for a moment, and Sebastian barely noticed his eyes had closed, feeling far too happy and at ease all wrapped up in Blaine. It was only when the other boy spoke again he even realised he'd began to drift off.

"Dinner?" Blaine asked, not moving at all so he didn't make Sebastian uncomfortable.

"Hmm," Sebastian sighed. "I was planning on going out tonight. I don't want a meal."

"It's just pizza," Blaine told him, pulling away to look at him properly. "Where are you going?"

"Just… out," Sebastian said, feeling strangely guilty. "Bar. Scandals. Probably."

Blaine looked at him for a long time, knowing exactly what that meant and knowing straight away he didn't want him to. But how could he justify it? Sebastian had told him before that this was what he did. That it was _fun. _But to Blaine, it was a bigger deal. And Sebastian knew it as he looked him in the eyes.

"You know I do this, Blaine," he said quietly, watching him for any signs of disgust. Something inside him was beginning to recoil, afraid of Blaine's judgement, or of the possibility that he hadn't really _accepted _Sebastian – he'd merely ignored the truth.

"I know," Blaine nodded. He couldn't explain how it felt like some kind of betrayal, because it _wasn't, _not really. But it wasn't just that. "Bas… You know you're worth more than that, right?"

Sebastian froze, his vulnerability seeping through into his face as he attempted to curl in on himself. "I'm not, Blaine."

"You are," Blaine told him. "You really are, Bastian."

Sebastian frowned, torn between how touched he felt that Blaine was enforcing that he meant something, but also embarrassed, because he knew that he _didn't. _

"We're different people, okay? I need this right now. I've had a bad day, I'm stressed and… I just need this."

Blaine's hold tightened on Sebastian, like he understood what the last hidden reason was. That Sebastian wanted to feel wanted. Good for something. It killed him that there was nothing he could do. He quietly traced patterns against Sebastian's torso, thinking how if he had another wish, it would be for Sebastian's self-worth.

"At least eat something," he finally said, not happy that that was as far as he could get involved. "If you drink on an empty stomach it could be dangerous."

Sebastian nodded, although now more than ever he just needed to get out and be drunk and pretend to be in love for the night while someone took him home. He hated how guilty he felt, now. He'd never had to tackle the moral issue of having someone in his heart while looking for a one night stand, but surely it was stupid to think like that – Blaine had a boyfriend. And if he didn't feel guilty about that, then Sebastian didn't have to, either.

But even so, that night, he found that the hazel eyed boy stayed on his mind. And despite having opportunities, he later returned to the Hummel's home alone, not feeling worse knowing that was someone there that thought he was _worth _something.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**A/N: Your reviews really touch me sometimes, guys, seriously. Thank you so much for them! I'm glad a lot of you are enjoying this so much! I'm sorry this took so long, some shit happened last week and I just couldn't write for the life of me. There are about 6 versions of this chapter in existence xD But anyway, here's chapter 15. Enjoy! **

"Well, you look like shit."

"Charming as ever, Duval," Sebastian spat, pushing past him into the pristine mansion Nick called home. It was true; he'd come back early from his night out before, but despite that and being tended to by Blaine as soon as he got home, he still managed to wake up with a hangover. It could've been worse, though, and despite the nausea and the splitting headache, he found the memory of last night kept bringing a smile to his face. Not because he'd hooked up with someone – he hadn't, for starters, unable to think of the boy who cared for him so much back at home. And it was the same boy in question who made his evening something to smile about.

"Someone's happy?" Nick commented, leading Sebastian through the great house. Sebastian just chuckled, looking around and half expecting Jeff to pop up.

"I'm not bad. How about you?" Sebastian asked. "I'd imagine pretty bored, unless my eyes are deceiving me and a certain blonde boy is lounging around your house, as per usual?"

"I'm serious, Bas," Nick said dismissively. "You keep, like… _smiling._"

Sebastian laughed again, but refused to give Nick a proper answer. He wasn't even sure if Blaine knew he remembered, having only seen him briefly before running out the door after getting Nick's text about Blaine's summer school letter arriving. But it was okay, because he did; he remembered how he'd drunkenly passed out on the sofa, and opened his eyes to see Blaine there. He remembered how relieved he was that Sebastian hadn't slept with anyone, before attempting to grill into him – even in his drunk state – that he was worth something. Even after Sebastian had tried to deny it over and over, saying how Blaine was the only one who thought so, he wouldn't stop telling him until Sebastian had no choice but to accept it. And then Blaine had cuddled him and helped him up to his room, and thanked him again for not settling for a cheap hook up in a dirty bathroom, pressing the smallest, briefest kiss to Sebastian's cheek before leaving the boy to sleep. Waking up the next day, he was sure he felt better than he ever had the morning after an average night at Scandals.

It felt silly to be musing over a drunken night where nothing really happened, but Blaine had been helping him to stop caring about being silly. Besides, it wasn't like Nick had to know. For now, it was just his own silly secret.

"Is Jeff really not here?" Sebastian asked when they finally reached Nick's room. "I'm impressed. You two actually manage to spend a whole day without each other."

"He's coming over later," Nick mumbled. "And we don't see each other _every day._"

"You guys are ridiculous," Sebastian teased. "If I was you, I'd be sick of Jeff by now."

"Yeah, well…" Nick began, before catching Sebastian's eye and realising what he was about to say would just be adding fuel to the fire. "Jeff's cool."

"Right," Sebastian laughed. "I guess I can see why you keep him around. He _is _pretty easy on the eyes."

Nick swallowed, walking to his desk and picking up the envelope for Sebastian. "He's my best friend."

"Who happens to be very sexy."

"…Sure, I guess. I mean… sure," Nick stuttered, shrugging too many times. Sebastian smirked, carefully watching Nick's face for any signs of a blush.

"I'm serious. He's a dancer, he's athletic, he's got some crazy confidence… He _must _be great in bed. I mean, _wow_. He's probably made some people very happy."

"He's a virgin," Nick snapped, anxiously playing with the edges of the envelope.

"Ah," Sebastian smirked. "Waiting for the right person?"

Nick nodded, his gaze firmly fixed on the floor. Sebastian could just see him growing hot under the collar, really thinking it through and torn between pushing the thoughts aside but also hoping they were true, in the way he believed them to be. After a moment, he cleared his throat, thrusting the envelope towards Sebastian and folding his arms.

"We already read it," he murmured. "Jeff was curious."

"You're so whipped-"

"Just _open _it," Nick groaned, rolling his eyes. Sebastian grinned, but did as he was told, sliding the letter out of the already opened envelope and only smiling more genuinely on seeing the contents. It spoke about how happy they were to hear from Blaine, how great his application was and how they think he'll fit in wonderfully. They sounded welcoming, Sebastian thought, which was good – this wasn't some top, prestigious school, but they definitely had everything under control.

"I can't wait to tell him," he murmured, smiling still as he read through the letter and trying to ignore how his heart swelled in his chest when he thought of Blaine going. _Silly, _he thought, only to find himself chuckling again at how silly silly was.

"I'm just making an observation," Nick started, but Sebastian could hear the smirk in his voice before he even looked up. "But I can't help but notice how you change when it comes to Blaine."

Sebastian stilled for a moment. It wasn't that he was ashamed of his feelings for Blaine, or felt an unhealthy compulsion to keep his feelings secret, like Nick and Jeff; it was more the fact that he was feeling these things for a guy who was already taken, and on top of that, he was the first guy Sebastian had actually let himself _like. _Having the Warblers openly know would only put pressure on, he was sure of it. So he just shrugged, smiling as though he accepted Nick's comment as a casual reflection.

"We're all different when we're around different people," he shrugged, not taking his eyes off the letter. "Blaine's certainly unique."

"So's your relationship with him," Nick mumbled, raising an eyebrow. Sebastian sighed, finally meeting his gaze with the stone cold eyes he was used to putting on.

"Thanks for getting the letter," he murmured, putting it back in the envelope. "But I guess I should get going. I wouldn't wanna get in the way of you and Jeff."

With that, he smirked and began to walk away, hoping his teasing would mean Nick would know he wasn't mad at him – he just wasn't ready to talk about it. But Nick quickly called him back, walking after him and seeming just a little vulnerable.

"Hey," he said, lightly catching Sebastian's shoulder. "Look, about Jeff… I know Blaine's birthday comes before his, but he usually just spends it with his parents, and… I was thinking of organising a little thing for Jeff's birthday?"

"Oh?"

"A camping trip," Nick added. "To be precise. He was telling me the other day how he wanted… Uh, well that's not important," he said hurriedly, colour rising in his cheeks very quickly. "But he'd like it. And um, so would everyone else. So we should organise it. So we can all go. For Jeff's birthday."

"Okay, Nick," Sebastian laughed, ruffling the blushing boy's hair. "It sounds great. I'm in."

"Great," Nick smiled, looking relieved as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and lead Sebastian towards the door. "I'll talk to you more about it later, okay? He should be arriving, soon, and I have to shower."

"Are you sure Jeff wouldn't wanna join y-"

"Goodbye, Sebastian," Nick said, forcing a smile before opening the door for him to leave. Sebastian just grinned, stepping back out into the hot midday sun and looking down at the letter between his fingertips. After visiting Nick, there was just one thing bothering him – Nick had told him Blaine spent every birthday with his parents, but with how hard things seemed at home, there was no telling if he'd be back in time for his birthday. And even if he was, it was much more likely to be more stressful than fun. He also realised, with a small, guilty feeling of satisfaction, that Kurt's Washington trip with his dad conflicted with Blaine's birthday.

It was up to him to give Blaine the best birthday ever, and Sebastian was gladly up for the challenge.

* * *

When he returned to the Hummel household, he was happy to find the house was peacefully quiet. He smiled; he rarely ever got the place to himself, so when he did, he tried to take advantage of it as much as he could.

He started by grabbing a carton of juice from the fridge, unbuttoning his shirt all the way down in order to be as cool as possible. His plans went on so that he would lounge in the living room for a while, paying half of his attention to a book while he probably drifted off into a midday nap, but his plan was immediately out the window when he walked in to find Blaine asleep on the sofa. He stilled, his first thoughts being to cover him with a blanket before realising that would be extremely counterproductive considering the heat. However, he found he didn't need to worry as Blaine began to stir, making confused noises before opening his sleepy eyes to look straight at Sebastian. The other boy just smiled, glad he appeared not to have startled Blaine.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," he teased, squeezing Blaine's shoulder. Blaine just giggled, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand before pulling himself up so Sebastian could sit next to him. He couldn't help but be particularly attentive of the fact Sebastian's shirt was undone, but did his best not to stare, deciding it would be safer to silently appreciate.

"How long've you been home for?" he asked, doing all he could to not come off like he'd just woken up and resisting the temptation to slump against Sebastian's shoulder.

"I just got back," Sebastian smiled. "It's good you're here, actually. I need to talk to you."

"Oh?"

Sebastian nodded, feeling the unfamiliar prickles of nerves clawing in his stomach as he tried to work out what to say. "You remember that summer school you wanted to apply for? A little while ago?"

"…Yeah?" Blaine said, confused at what this had to do with anything.

"Well… I didn't think it was fair that you couldn't apply when it suited you so well," he told him. "I don't think Kurt realised how much this meant or could do for you, and it wasn't right for him to just beat the idea out like that, so… I applied for you."

He just looked at Blaine for a second, trying to read his face before handing the envelope over to him. Blaine silently took it, cautiously sliding the letter out and scanning it with bright, surprised eyes.

"Bas…" he whispered, scanning the letter before finally looking at Sebastian like a child who'd just been given the key to Disneyland. "You did this for me?"

Sebastian nodded, chuckling more of relief and modesty than anything and was taken off guard when Blaine lurched forward and flung his arms around him. He giggled and held him back, unable to stop smiling now that he could register _he _was the one to make Blaine that happy. When Blaine pulled away, he caught the complete disbelief in his eyes and how touched he seemed, and his smile grew with the warm feeling spreading through his chest.

"This is incredible," Blaine said, still sounding breathless. "This must've been so hard!"

"It was worth it," Sebastian shrugged. Blaine's smile faltered slightly, and Sebastian immediately panicked but did all he could not to let it show.

"Seb, this is… You know this is amazing. I'm pretty sure there's no one else who would do this for me," he admitted, shaking his head. "But you know what Kurt said."

Sebastian sighed. "It's your life, Blaine, not Kurt's. He might be mad for a little while, but he'll get over it. If he really cared about you, he wouldn't let this ruin your relationship."

"Seb-"

"You made me realise I'm not worthless," Sebastian reminded him. "But you need to realise it for yourself, too."

"You remember?" Blaine asked quietly, recoiling a little in his modesty. Sebastian nodded, squeezing Blaine's shoulder again and resting his head back against the sofa.

"No one's even cared enough to do that for me, either."

"All I did was talk to you."

"Yeah, I know," Sebastian murmured, pressing his lips together and averting his gaze. Blaine's shoulders slumped, and he shuffled closer, resting his head near Sebastian's and taking his hand in his.

"It's things like this that make you the person they don't realise you are," he said, gesturing to the letter. "And the little things, too, of course. This is just… wonderful."

Sebastian couldn't help but laugh. "Wonderful?" he repeated, a grin splitting across his face. Blaine smiled back, squeezing Sebastian's hand.

"Got you smiling," he pointed out. Sebastian just smiled wider, still finding himself not quite able to believe he had someone like Blaine in his life.

"_You're _wonderful," Sebastian quipped, speaking in his best British accent to effectively make Blaine chuckle.

"You're British?"

"I'm lots of things," he teased, raising his eyebrows and winking playfully. The both of them became a heap of laughter, and Sebastian found his face was actually beginning to hurt from smiling so much. For a moment, Blaine looked thoughtful, and Sebastian had to stop laughing just because of the intensity in his gaze.

"I'll go," Blaine told him, smiling much softer. Sebastian's eyes widened hopefully, feeling the all too familiar bubbling in his chest that came with being around Blaine.

"You will? To the summer school?"

"Yeah," Blaine beamed. "But you have to come see my final performance."

"I wouldn't miss that," Sebastian grinned.

"You better not," Blaine retorted, his voice challenging Sebastian with a confident smile on his face. Sebastian raised an eyebrow, edging just a little closer to Blaine and smiling very slightly when he noticed how he tried to sit up straighter to look taller.

"And why's that?" he asked, his voice instinctively dropping into a lower register.

"Well, for all the hard work you put into this, don't you think you deserve a reward?"

Sebastian looked at Blaine with clear surprise; if he wasn't mistaken, and he rarely was, Blaine was flirting with him. He analysed the way Blaine's eyes were sparkling with poise, how his smile was just a little teasing like there was something else behind it, and how his voice had fallen into the same tone Sebastian's had. His smile grew, wondering how long it would take for Blaine to blush and look away.

"I can think of plenty of other ways you can reward me," he purred, walking his fingers up Blaine's chest. Blaine raised his eyebrows, and Sebastian couldn't help be impressed at how the other boy hadn't shied away.

"That sounds awfully suggestive," Blaine said.

"I believe that's not the first time you've made that observation, Mr Anderson."

Blaine shrugged. "It's not the first time you've made that observation apply."

"Touché," Sebastian smirked. "You've gotten better at this."

"And what is 'this', exactly?" Blaine asked, in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer. Nonetheless, Sebastian found himself stumped, looking at Blaine and willing himself to say something back but found himself fumbling over nothing. It dawned upon him, as he felt heat rising up his neck, that _he_ was the blushing, stuttering one, and he looked away, although not in time to miss Blaine's successful smirk. Blaine probably didn't mean it in the way his own mind had jumped to; it could've been a legitimate question, but Sebastian was so surprised that he gave no hope of saving the situation. The way Blaine was looking at him wasn't exactly ignorant, though, and Sebastian found himself thoroughly confused. The smaller boy bumped his shoulder against Sebastian's, and he looked down at him, almost unable to take the complete change of expression on Blaine's face that was now warm and hopeful. He smiled, and Blaine took it as an invitation to lean against him, sliding his hand into Sebastian's and squeezing it like he was silently asking him to be himself again. Sebastian squeezed back, trying to get his head around how easily their dynamic could change around each other but was so grateful that it did.

"You can still answer that question, by the way," Blaine said softly, playing with Sebastian's fingers and looking at their hands. "Whenever you want."

Sebastian bit his lip, swallowing down the feeling of anticipation and hopefulness as he thought over Blaine's words, but before he could make any kind of comment, the front door opened and Blaine's hand was out of his, straightening up but carrying it all off like he wasn't bothered either way if someone came in and saw. But even when the attention was clearly no longer on Sebastian, and Kurt had come as though to remind him that Blaine was spoken for, he couldn't take his eyes off him.

* * *

The next day, Sebastian came downstairs to find himself surrounded by suitcases. He frowned, wandering into the living room just to check he hadn't missed the memo that they were moving house, where he found Blaine, Kurt, and Burt watching TV like they weren't packed up to leave any second.

"Hey," Sebastian said, lingering in the doorway. No matter what anyone said to him, he still couldn't join in like he was part of the family. "So does anyone wanna tell me why the front door is surrounded by an army of suitcases?"

"You can't be serious," Kurt mumbled, to which Sebastian just offered a very sarcastic look. "We're going to Washington? We've been talking about it for weeks, now?"

"That's now?" Sebastian asked, trying not to look too pleased. "How long do you go for?"

"Just a week," Burt told him, not looking up from the television. "I let your dad know, he's okay with it."

Sebastian stilled for a moment, looking at Burt and hating how easily those words could just come out of his mouth. "You spoke to my dad?"

"Yup. Y'know, just to check in, make sure he was okay with us leaving you."

Sebastian nodded, looking at the floor and swallowing thickly, the hate almost visibly rolling off of him when he could feel Kurt's eyes on him. He met his gaze in an instant, unsure what his stare was trying to convey but suddenly feeling far too defensive to care.

"Is Blaine staying here?" he asked, folding his arms and looking at Blaine hopefully.

"Well, I've got nowhere else to go for the time being," he shrugged. "If that's okay with you?"

Sebastian grinned, a genuine, happy smile across his lips until he caught Kurt's eye and changed it almost instinctively to a smirk. "Of course," he said, looking back at Blaine. Kurt immediately seemed wary, standing up and walking towards Sebastian.

"I have to talk to you," he told him, leading him out the room and steering him until they were in the kitchen, relatively out of earshot. Sebastian folded his arms and raised his eyebrows, already knowing what this was about.

"You know, you didn't need to pull me aside to say goodbye to me," he mocked. "I'm sure you'll miss me _just _as much as I'll miss you."

"Don't lay a finger on Blaine," Kurt snarled, his hands on his hips and his face twisted into a possessive scowl. "Got it?"

Sebastian scoffed, stepping closer to Kurt with the stance of a guy who refused to back down. "You think you have the right to tell me not to lay a finger on Blaine? Don't you think you're already getting more than your own share, Kurt?"

Kurt frowned, squaring his shoulders up and clearly doing all he could to stay in power, skimming over Sebastian's second attempt at hinting that he knew he was cheating. "He is _my boyfriend._ He's mine, Sebastian. And if you keep trying to meddle, just remember that I can get you kicked out of this house. And away from Blaine."

"Can you _hear _yourself?" Sebastian hissed. "You're being possessive over a guy you don't even care enough about to stay loyal to. It's his choice to stay close with me. You're being childish."

"Beats being a desperate slut, doesn't it?"

Sebastian clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing at Kurt's albeit unoriginal insult. "You don't know me," he said, shaking his head. "And you never did. And I'm _sick _of seeing you play the victim all the time, when you're not the only one who's been hurt. But I guess that's how it's always been, huh?"

The air around them stiffened, Kurt slowly raising a very unimpressed eyebrow as he stared Sebastian hard in the eye. Sebastian could almost taste the words before they came.

"I lost my mom because of you," Kurt murmured.

"_Because of me?_" Sebastian snapped. "If it wasn't for your dad, we'd _both _be dead."

"Rather you than her," Kurt growled, his eyes unforgiving.

"Alright, I get it. You blame me, even though it couldn't _possibly _be my fault-"

"I'd still have my mom if it wasn't for you!"

"She wasn't just _your mom, _Kurt!" Sebastian shouted, just as Burt walked in with practised authority and pushed them both apart.

"Hey," he said calmly, looking between them. "Enough of this. You've both been through stuff, you both have the right to get upset from time to time. But now is not the time, because we have a plane to catch," he told them, looking at Kurt pointedly. "I want you to apologise to each other."

"Save it," Sebastian scoffed. "You said you have a plane to catch. You'll definitely miss it if you want Kurt to apologise."

With that, he brushed passed them and sprinted up the stairs, running a hand through his hair and knocking over a huge stack of coffee cups as soon as he reached his room. He threw himself onto his bed, just trying to catch his breath for a moment and clear his head. He hated how it had to be this way. How the death of their mom only drove them further apart, and that Kurt blamed him, and how when just about anyone spoke about her, it was _Kurt's _mom, not his. But even on the other side of his family, there was barely any room for normality. There was just one person he could trust.

Sitting up straight, he slid his cell phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the contacts until he reached his aunt's number. Pressing the call button, he listened almost fondly as the dial tone changed to connect with the different country, and he let the smile spread across his features when the bubbly, down to earth tone of his aunt's voice filled his ears.

"_Hello?_"

"_Valerie," _Sebastian grinned, feeling an odd mixture of anticipation and relief. "_It's Sebastian._"

"_I could tell,_" Valerie quipped. "_You've been in America too long, Sebastian. Your accent is leaking back through." _

"_Is that your roundabout way of telling me you miss me?" _Sebastian asked, wishing he wasn't hoping for a 'yes' so hard.

"_I always miss you, _Piglet,_" _Valarie smiled. "_There's a Sebastian shaped hole here in Paris._ _I'm sure all the boys are missing you, too._"

"_You're still on 'Piglet'?_" Sebastian asked, laughing. "_That's a terrible nickname, Valerie. I'm the least Piglet you can get." _

"_You are the Piglet to my Winnie and that is that." _

Sebastian chuckled, feeling very loved for a moment. "_Okay, Valerie. I won't deny you of your Piglet." _

"_Good,_" Valerie smiled. "_So, Piglet, to what do I owe this pleasure?_"

"_Oh, you know, I just…_" Sebastian began, before sighing, knowing there was no need to make pleasantries with his aunt when there was something on his mind. "_Have you heard from my dad recently?_"

"_We spoke just a few days ago," _she told him. "_He didn't say very much._"

"_How is he?" _he asked timidly, tracing patterns across the duvet to try and distract himself. There was a horribly long pause, before Sebastian heard an exasperated sigh down the phone and could only tense up in response.

"_He will get there, Sebastian," _she tried to assure him. "_This was never going to be easy."_

"_Will I be able to go home soon?"_

"_No," _she told him, clear and simple. "_But you have to stay strong for him. Like I know you are. Unless America has turned you into a cry baby?"_

"_No, Valerie," _Sebastian chuckled, even if his heart was sinking. "_I guess I just miss dad."_

"_Well, he misses you, too. But he _is _a cry baby. You were always the real man of the house, Sebby."_

"_I'm not the man of this one," _Sebastian pointed out, though he was smiling, now. "_But I sure as hell come before Kurt._"

"_I can't believe you live with that boy," _Valerie teased. _"He is like a fleshed out swan!" _

"_That sounds terrifying."_

"_I agree," _Valerie chuckled. _"And how can a swan be related to such an ugly duckling?"_

"_Hey!" _Sebastian laughed. _"You're related to this ugly duckling too, remember?_"

"_I still keep faith that one day you will blossom into the beautiful swan I know you are," _she teased. "_Your French is still very good, Sebastian. I'm impressed._"

"_I learnt from the best,_" Sebastian smiled. "_And I try to keep it in practise." _

"_I don't think I want to know what for,_" Valerie bantered, and Sebastian was sure if he could see her, she would've winked. "_You know I love talking to you, but I need to get back to work, okay? But you feel free to call again any time." _

"_I will," _Sebastian smiled. "_Miss you, Valerie."_

"_I know," _she said. _"But I'm always here and you're always there, and really we can see each other whenever we want. I love you, Piglet,_" she smiled.

"_Love you, too." _

"_Goodbye!" _

Sebastian smiled, shutting off the phone and falling back against the mattress. When he felt like he did right then, he couldn't help but feel like he belonged back in Paris, living with his aunt in the artsy house she currently shared with two of her best friends. Life in Paris felt so simple. Everything was laid back, and the people he was surrounded by were so uncomplicated. But as well as that, there was no hurdle of falling in love, no family falling apart, and maybe, without those two things, he didn't feel so alone there. It's hard to when you're in the place you're so sure you belong.

He sighed, rolling onto his side and scrolling back up through the numbers on his phone until he reached his dad's. They'd agreed to keep conversation between them to a bare minimum while his dad recovered, but being totally shut out wasn't what he'd expected at all. He just wanted to know how he was getting on, and since Valerie didn't give him a very in depth answer, the questions and assumptions in his mind only made that need worse. But even as he hovered over the number, he knew calling it would be pointless – he'd tried, several times before, only to find his number still blocked by his dad.

He threw the phone away from him, losing it in the horrifying landslide that was the floor on the other side of his bed before getting up and leaving the confides of his room. He waited for some kind of busy noise that would indicate the Hummel's presence, but when nothing came, he wondered if he'd miss their leaving. Curiously, he padded down the stairs, looking round attentively and seeing the bustle of suitcases gone from the hallway. He walked into the living room, smiling at Blaine who was still on the coach, happily watching some sports programme and drinking a glass of squash. Alone.

"Hey," Sebastian said, quickly gaining Blaine's attention. "Is Kurt gone?"

"Yeah," Blaine nodded. Sebastian smiled, holding Blaine's eye for a moment before turning and leaving again.

If anything, this week was sure to be interesting.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Before you read on, I'd like to point out that there is a mention of suicide in this chapter. There's no real detail to the actual act of it, but if you're concerned or triggered easily, please message me on here or on my tumblr (the link is on my profile page) and I can sum up for you. I'm not even sure if it's worth mentioning, to be honest, but I'd rather be safe than sorry! Also thanks to Megan again for reading through for me. **

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**Chapter 16**

"_It's your fault!" _

Sebastian wondered, now and then, what it was exactly that made him such an avid sleeper. He'd heard dreams only really lasted three seconds, but that couldn't be true; it doesn't take just three seconds for the sweat to bead on your forehead, over your neck and everywhere you touch. It doesn't take three seconds for your heart to race at such an impossible speed, so you're panting just to keep up with it, so your chest is heaving with the effort to find some tranquillity. It doesn't take three seconds for the voices in Sebastian's head to stop yelling.

"_You killed her!" _

In a way he couldn't explain, he was conscious that he was making a sound, even if he couldn't hear it. Something akin to whimpering, except much sadder, much more resentful. His hands were gripping on to anything he could find, like he could pull his way out, but he wasn't there yet.

"_You took my mommy away! I know it was you. I know it was you!" _

He felt like he was suffocating, or drowning, but it didn't matter if it meant he could escape. How long until someone saved him? If a dream would take longer than three seconds to play out, and three seconds felt longer than a life time, when would it ever end?

"_She never liked you! She hated you!" _

He felt like he was choking, but the kind of choking that was only on tears. His breathing was rabid; if he could hear it, he was sure it'd be terrifying or maybe even vile to behold. The hands on his shoulders weren't saving him, this time; they were pinning him down. He needed to breathe.

"_MURDERER_!"

"Sebastian?!"

Sebastian sat up at the speed of a gunshot, uncoiling his hands from the duvet gasping for breath. "I didn't… I didn't…" he stuttered helplessly, attempting to push the sweat drenched hair out of his face. He could feel Blaine's eyes on him, watching him confused while Sebastian attempted to regain some degree of sanity again. He could barely comprehend he was in the guest room of the Hummel's house, that it was 3am and he'd woken up from a nightmare. It meant much more to him than that.

"…Bastian?" Blaine asked, and Sebastian knew what he was trying to say. Why didn't Blaine being there help, this time?

"It wasn't like the others," he told him, his chest still rising and falling heavily and fast. "Different dream."

"You… W-What was it?" Blaine asked, too afraid to touch Sebastian while the other boy had barely come out of the terror he was in. Sebastian just shook his head, covering his eyes with his hands while his breathing only got heavier. His other hand was soon curled up in the duvet again, while he continued to shake his head, his breathing growing raspy and shaky. If Blaine wasn't mistaken, he was verging on hyperventilating, and all he could think to do was get Sebastian some water before worrying that would be no help to him at all.

"I can't do this," he just barely heard Sebastian say, his hand gripping the duvet so tight his knuckles were white. "I can't do this anymore. I can't be here… I shouldn't be here. What was I thinking?"

"…Bas," Blaine began, but to no avail. Sebastian looked up at him, tears pooling in his bloodshot eyes while he frowned and looked at Blaine like he couldn't be sure he was really there.

"You should go," he said, his voice shaking. "I really do ruin everything. M-mom's death… everyone blames me. Maybe it _was_ me! I was there, Blaine, I was there… I could've driven her to it… I could've… How could I come back? They think I'm a _murderer._"

"Sebastian-"

"I know everyone thinks I'm a bad person, but not… a _murderer_... Is that what I am?! I came back to a house where they think of me as the boy who killed his mom! His wife! And I came _back _like it was all a big joke and got pissed off because Kurt couldn't let this go? How could he let it go?! He thinks I killed his mother!"

"You have to listen to me-"

"Blaine, Blaine, no. You have to go," Sebastian babbled, his words traveling faster than his own thoughts and his eyes darting from Blaine to anywhere else fearfully, frantically. "You have to go. I ruin people's lives and I can't ruin yours. Oh God, what if I already have? I'm just taking more away from Kurt… he doesn't want us to be friends and that must be why he doesn't want me near you because he's trying to _protect _you because I killed his mom! I'm making things worse for him! For everyone! My dad's not getting better, and Kurt's not, and now you're here and I'm gonna ruin you, too, and… That's it, isn't it? I have to go back to where nothing here matters… I have to go back to Paris."

"What? Sebastian, you-"

"It's the only way I can stop hurting everybody!" he gasped, his breathing still no better. "I have to leave, now! I have to go back to Paris, and they can forget about me and what happened, and maybe they'll be okay. I have to. It's the only way," he decided, the tears spilling over his eyes. "I'm going. I'm sorry for ruining everything but it's okay because I'm going back. You won't ever see me agai-" The line between the panicky thoughts in his head and his rambling was cut before he could even register what was happening, but eventually, just in time, he could just about respond to the soft, warm lips pressed against his, taking over every terror in his mind and saving him. Blaine was kissing him. He felt his heart kick start itself, like the kiss had originally made it stop, and now all he was aware of was Blaine's lips on his, and all of the sensations that came with being kissed. But all too soon, he was gone, pulling away from Sebastian with an expression that could only communicate the surprise at his own actions. Sebastian was staring back at him, his heart still racing but it was like the adrenaline in his body was satisfied to have been given a reason, and finally, he was starting to calm down.

"I don't want you to leave," Blaine murmured, as though it was justification for the kiss. Sebastian swallowed. All he could do was stare at Blaine, wait for an explanation that he was completely unable to conjure himself. Where his mind had just seconds ago been working a mile a minute, it was now completely blank. Short-circuited. He was barely even aware why Blaine was saying what he was saying.

"I'm sorry," Sebastian whispered, the words coming out of his mouth before he even realised what a state he'd worked himself into in front of Blaine. "I'm not leaving. I couldn't."

"Good," Blaine nodded, but Sebastian couldn't help notice how his shoulders were hunched and his eyes couldn't quite meet his.

"You don't have to stay," Sebastian told him, folding his arms and feeling the guilt run through him as though it was in his blood. "I guess I should… Go see a doctor about these night terrors or someth-"

"Sebastian," Blaine said firmly, and the boy in question knew it was only to stop him from running into another tangent. He nodded, shuffling closer to Blaine and looking at him in a way that asked to be forgiven before slumping against him. He knew the chances were Blaine was still shocked by his own actions, and he wasn't really in a place to comfort Sebastian, but Sebastian wasn't safe in his own mind right now, either.

"I only did it because you were gonna hyperventilate," Blaine murmured. "Or move to Paris."

"It's okay, Blaine," Sebastian told him softly, winding his arms around him and closing his eyes. "Just don't be sorry. I don't want you to be. You helped me, okay?"

"I know, I know," Blaine nodded. "It's just… I mean, I've seen people do it in movies, and you were freaking out and I didn't know what to do and that's all I could think of-"

"Blaine," Sebastian said, cutting across him. "It's okay."

Blaine finally relaxed, smiling and curling his arms around Sebastian. He'd seen him vulnerable a few times, now, but he still wasn't used to it; the way he could go from the self-assured, smug guy who took most things in his stride to this boy who had practically crawled into Blaine's arms was mind boggling. And heart breaking, Blaine thought, looking down at Sebastian who still had his eyes closed, but there was something fearful in his expression, like Blaine was his only chance of getting through it.

"What was it?" Blaine asked, stroking a hand through Sebastian's hair to soothe him. "They say talking about bad dreams can help."

Sebastian noticeably tensed up, his eyes snapping open and his hands clinging a little tighter. "Blaine-"

"You don't have to," Blaine said. "But you don't have to do this on your own."

Sebastian nodded, taking a deep breath and adjusting his position so he could look at Blaine properly. "I know that," he murmured. "But you're here now. And if I tell you what happened, I'm…" he swallowed, biting back his confession of being scared. "I don't wanna lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't _say _that," Sebastian sighed. "You don't know."

"Listen to me, okay?" Blaine asked, taking one of Sebastian's hands into his own and looking him straight in the eye. "You're one of my best friends. And not only that, but you've done things for me that no one else would ever do, and been there for me when no one else cared. So it doesn't matter what happened back then," Blaine told him, shaking his head. "You mean the world to me, now."

Sebastian found himself unable to look at Blaine, the affection he was receiving so strong that he was sure he didn't deserve it. Blaine squeezed his hand, frowning slightly in fear that all he'd done was annoy him.

"Just one thing," Sebastian mumbled. "And I told you this before. When I tell you, you can walk away from me and I'll understand. Don't feel obliged to stay. Don't pity me. Okay?"

"…Okay," Blaine agreed, nodding. He couldn't help but feel nervous about the hard edge in Sebastian's voice, though, afraid of what he could be about to hear. Sebastian looked down, gathering his thoughts and trying to find the right place to begin.

"The dream was about mom's funeral," he started, unable to meet Blaine's eye. "It was… It was a weird day. I was on one side of the room, and Kurt was on the other, and people kept _looking _at me. A lot of them hadn't seen me before," he explained. "I was the mystery child. But I didn't really get it, then. It irked me to have all these strange people staring at me. But there was one person who I just couldn't look back at, and that was Kurt." He stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath and squeezing Blaine's hand to anchor himself. "Kurt was angry. He'd lost his mom. And that's understandable," he said. "We're always trying to find people to blame for things we don't understand. But this, he knew. Burt was making his speech, and got on to how she was a great mom, and Kurt was just… livid. He wasn't sad, or wary. He was just angry. But it wasn't until the little gathering afterwards that he…" Sebastian bit his lip, hurt from the memory but also aware that the next part wouldn't make sense to Blaine unless he understood the rest. "You remember me telling you I've met my mom twice in my life?"

"Yeah," Blaine nodded, his face twisted into an expression of hard concentration.

"Well, I told you how the first time was great. The second time was also the time she died."

Blaine swallowed, feeling himself grow slightly nauseous more for Sebastian's sake than his own. He squeezed his hand, but Sebastian could only look at him briefly. He was ashamed.

"My dad wasn't around. He was at work. My nanny was inside watching some awful television show. And I was just there, lazing on the swing set we had in the garden when I heard someone messing with the gate. We have a little side alley to our house, so you can get into the garden without going through," he explained, looking reluctant. "I didn't do anything. People came over all the time, and sometimes Valerie popped over for surprise visits so if anything, I was excited. But it was mom." Sebastian curled his free arm around himself, and Blaine was sure he looked like he'd lost some colour. "She looked much different from last time. Kurt always talks about her like she was this angel_, _but she was unstable. Which was my fault, in a way. It's because I exist, at least."

"Sebastian-"

"So she came in, and I recognised her, even though her hair was longer and unkempt and there were bigger bags under her eyes… I think she'd lost weight, too." Blaine noticed that Sebastian's breaths were starting to come out shuddery, but he was unsure if it was because he was holding back tears or if it was fear. "And… she had… a knife."

Sebastian finally looked up at Blaine, something expectant and lifeless in his gaze, but Blaine wasn't anywhere near running away. If anything, he was more determined to stay.

"I heard people yelling her name, but all I could do was stare at her. She told me I was a mistake, and I ruined her life. She said 'it's your fault.' She asked me if she would still be that way if it wasn't for me. I didn't understand. I was nine." He shook his head, and Blaine realised there was the smallest tremor in his hands. He was afraid to hear the rest, and felt incredibly guilty for making Sebastian tell it. "I just kept saying 'mom', but she told me not to call her that. And then I said the dumbest thing. Like she wasn't waving a knife around," Sebastian said, smiling humourlessly. "I asked her if she wanted to go play the piano with me. Because she seemed unhappy, and all I could remember from before was she looked so beautiful and happy playing the piano. And then I said, 'all I want is for you to be happy'." He stopped for a moment, just frowning at a spot on the duvet and fighting through the terrifying memory of his childhood. "She started screaming at me, and walking towards me. If it hadn't been for Burt running in, she… I think she would've… She wanted me out of her life. But Burt grabbed her, and she screamed again and cut his arm, and that's when I realised she wanted to _hurt _us. But when she saw the man she loved holding the wound she made… And saw me cowering on the floor… I kept saying her name. I kept calling her mom. Her last word to me was 'no'," Sebastian whispered. "She killed herself. Right in front of me."

Blaine was silent, completely at a loss on what he could possibly say after that. The silence in the room was almost static, and all Sebastian could do was wonder how long it was going to take for Blaine to run.

"What about Kurt?" Blaine found himself asking. "At the funeral?"

Sebastian shrugged. "He caught me at the gathering afterwards and started yelling at me. We'd met a few times before, but we didn't like to talk to each other much. And he told me that it was my fault," he said, pressing his lips together. "I took _his _mom away. I _killed _his mom. He called me a murderer. He didn't even care that she was my mom, too." He pulled his hand out of Blaine's grip, unable to take how he couldn't gauge his reaction and how ashamed of himself he was. Before he knew it, his hands were covering his face and he was sobbing; not even so tears were coming out, or at least, not straight away. But his body was shaking, and his cries were audible, regretting the little actions he'd done as a child he was sure had led to his mother's death. When Blaine reached out to squeeze his shoulder, he only sobbed harder. To think that he was still there for him, even when he knew his biggest, darkest secret… It almost felt too good to be true.

"You're not a murderer," Blaine whispered, his voice right in Sebastian's ear. It was all Sebastian needed to hear. A small, whimper of relief that was meant to be _thank you _escaped him, and once he felt he'd calmed down enough he enveloped Blaine in a hug, incredibly thankful when the other boy held him back tighter.

"Don't leave me," Sebastian asked him weakly, too afraid to loosen his hold on Blaine. "At least not now."

"I'm not," Blaine told him. "Never."

Sebastian closed his eyes tighter, sure that there were no words in the world that could've meant more to him than what Blaine had just said. He pulled away and pressed their foreheads together, keeping his arms wrapped around Blaine's shoulders and letting his breathing even out.

"Thank you," he said softly, pulling away a little and opening his eyes to look into Blaine's concerned ones. "I mean it… I was so… scared. I can't believe you're still here."

Blaine looked at him for a long few seconds before smiling, and Sebastian couldn't help but frown, sure there was nothing more out of place than a smile. Blaine pulled himself up slightly, reaching between them and delicately brushing his finger across Sebastian's cheekbone. Sebastian gulped, finding himself trying to follow the finger with his eyes but just getting dizzy.

"You had an eyelash," Blaine explained. "Just the one, this time."

"You keep it," Sebastian said, managing a smile of his own. Blaine looked back at him for a long time, the eyelash staying stubbornly on his finger while he just studied Sebastian's face like he was seeing it for the first time. He couldn't believe the things he'd been through, but it made sense to him now why he was so quick to blame himself, why he treated himself like he wasn't worth anything. The one thing that really stood out to him, though, was Sebastian's strength; the fact that despite being blamed for his mother's death, and despite seeing it with his own eyes, Sebastian could still hold his head high, and Blaine thought it was incredible. Considering the silly things people moaned about, Sebastian fought through the traumas of his past and even went as far as helping Blaine to a great extent, just so he could go to a summer school. Sebastian was the strongest person he knew.

"You gonna make a wish?" Sebastian asked quietly, not unsettled at all by how Blaine was looking at him. He tore his gaze away from Sebastian to look at the eyelash, silently analysing how there was still so much vulnerability in Sebastian's expression. He nodded, looking up at Sebastian again before blowing the eyelash away. All he could wish for was for Sebastian's strength to not be a cover up.

"We should sleep," Blaine whispered, his arms loosely curling around Sebastian's neck while he spoke. He didn't miss the way Sebastian's eyes accidently flickered to Blaine's lips, but for once, he didn't mind treading dangerous across the fine line that separated their friendship from their something else. It wasn't the first time he'd thought of just blurring the line altogether.

"We should sleep," Sebastian agreed, another small smile gracing his lips. With practised ease, he pulled the two of them down into a laying position, Blaine settling his head on Sebastian's chest and curling his arm around his torso like they did this all the time. Sebastian's arm rested around Blaine's shoulders, his other arm positioned so his hand could link through with Blaine's. It was the strongest feeling of 'home' he'd ever felt.

"When I wake up this time, you'll still be here," Sebastian teased, quickly pulling the duvet up over them before replacing his arm where it was. Blaine laughed in agreement, nuzzling his head into the crook of his shoulder.

"I'll actually get to wake up this time instead of staying awake and watching the clock," Blaine grinned, tilting his head so he could see Sebastian. Sebastian raised his eyebrows, but in the end he just smiled, tracing patterns across Blaine's shoulder.

"I guess things really do get better with time."

"Yeah," Blaine smiled, his eyes fluttering closed as he shifted more securely into the crook of Sebastian's shoulder.

"Thanks for staying up with me," Sebastian murmured.

"Any time, Bastian," Blaine yawned. "Goodnight. Sweet dreams, okay?"

"Okay," Sebastian chuckled. "You too, Blaine. Goodnight."

Blaine sighed happily, but despite his peaceful exterior, he found his mind ablaze with thoughts. He couldn't help notice how he liked Sebastian's smell, how he fit perfectly in the taller boy's hold, and how he couldn't ignore the strong urge to kiss the bare skin inches away from his face. He told himself he was just confused; that it was late and their closeness could easily be mistaken for something else. But then there was another small, scared part of him that he could only just about shut out, telling him what he guessed he already knew, in the back of his mind – that maybe he didn't want to be mistaken.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I just wanna reassure everyone that I'm not abandoning this fic – I'm gonna see it through to the end! But I'd much rather spend time on an update and be happy with it then throw in something rushed that I'm not happy with just to keep it a weekly update. Although they shouldn't all end up taking this long! This was just a hard chapter. Trying to be punctual really affects my writing, apparently xD But anyway, it's here now. I hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 17**

Sebastian felt a frown crease up his forehead the moment he surfaced into consciousness. The night was a horrible, hazy blur in his mind, but the one thing he was sure of was that Blaine had come and fallen asleep curled up against him. However, even when he opened his eyes just to make sure, there was no evidence of Blaine at all.

He sat up, glancing around the bed and cringing at the sinking feeling in his chest. He surely couldn't have imagined it, but then again, he preferred that idea to thinking Blaine could've just left him in the night. It could've all been a dream, he thought; but the idea only made him panic. To think he could've brought himself to tell Blaine one of the darkest aspects of his past only for it to not have happened at all was one of the most exhausting thoughts Sebastian had ever let cross his mind, and he sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair. The worst part, he knew, was that he was mainly disappointed at not waking up with him in his arms.

He growled, aggressively pushing his sadness away and leaping out of bed before he could mope a second longer. The weight of the confliction was still on him, but he did all he could to turn it into frustration and let it fuel his late start into the day. He did his best not to think about Blaine, putting far too much concentration into his morning routine as he jumped into the shower and scrubbed much harder than necessary at his hair. Eventually, though, no matter how hard he concentrated on the menial tasks or how much he tried to block out everything else, Blaine crawled back into his mind, and he sighed, leaning back against the shower wall while the warm spray continued to rain down on him. No matter how he put it in his brain, he found himself frustrated – if he'd simply dreamt last night's events, then he'd truly hit a new low, and perhaps needed to find a way to put some space between them in case he broke down much worse in front of him in real life. But if Blaine had left him… another sigh escaped him, feeling the now familiar sinking in his chest. The thought made him sad and frustrated, and that made him even more frustrated just knowing that he could get so easily wound up over it. He just wanted him to stay. Because now he had to realise that maybe he cared much more for Blaine than Blaine did for him.

At this thought, he was suddenly struck with the memory of Blaine's lips against his, and he swallowed thick, feeling a jolt in his chest. It might have been fleeting, but he suddenly couldn't be surer of anything that it had really happened. Blaine had kissed him. He could've slapped him, or thrown cold water over him, but no sooner had the words _I'm going, you won't ever see me again _left Sebastian's lips before Blaine's were on his, followed with the confession that told Sebastian _I don't want you to leave. _He shut the water off, biting his lip as his mind worked its way around a new conclusion – that Blaine's initial reason for kissing him wasn't because of the state Sebastian was in. It was because he didn't want to lose him.

He stepped out the shower, grabbing the towel and roughly rubbing it over his hair before tying it round his waist. There was a growing feeling of hope spreading through him, but he couldn't help be scared it was really desperation; that he was just seeing what he wanted to. He knew he had to talk to Blaine, but despite not wanting to think too much on it, his mind worked frantically against him, grappling onto tiny things that made his heart leap whenever he remembered them. How Blaine didn't even try to say sorry for kissing him. And yes, he'd tried to justify it, but that could have been for himself or for Sebastian, and he'd immediately proceeded to wind his arms around him, anyway. There was no shame in his actions. _"It doesn't matter what happened back then,_" Sebastian remembered him saying, not long after the kiss._ "You mean the world to me, now._"

Shoving the first shirt that he could find over his head and pulling on a pair of jeans he'd previously discarded on the floor, Sebastian quickly made his way downstairs, completely forgetting about his previous frustration over Blaine not being there when he woke up. However, he found himself distracted again when the smell of something baking filled his nostrils, and he frowned, slowing down as he made his way into the Hummel's kitchen to find the very boy he'd been looking for; earphones on and eyes on the bowl of yellow frosting he was stirring, completely oblivious to the world. Sebastian smiled, straining his ears to try and catch what Blaine was listening to but was interrupted when Blaine blurted out –

"_J'ai les yeux bruns._"

Sebastian bit his lip, the smile on his face growing past the point of any kind of restraint. "Actually," he perked up, taking a few steps closer to Blaine and taking him by surprise. "I'd say they were more green. Or hazel, at least."

"S-Sebastian," Blaine stuttered, quickly pulling off the headset and laying it down on the side. "I… uh… um. W-was I saying it right, at least?"

"No," Sebastian smiled, and Blaine blushed. "But it was cute. What are you doing?"

"Just… I'm baking," Blaine admitted, watching Sebastian with eyes like a deer caught in headlights. "I like baking. I haven't done it in a while and… I dunno, I guess you were still asleep and everything was here…"

"What're you baking?"

"…Cupcakes."

"Of course you are," Sebastian teased. Blaine smirked, like he didn't want to laugh but just couldn't help it. "Do I get to try one?"

"Hmmmm… I'm not sure you _deserve _a cupcake…"

"C'mon. The cupcakes would be _honoured _to be consumed by me."

"I'm not sure," Blaine quipped, raising an eyebrow. "I hear cupcakes are very hard to please."

"I'll make it worth your while," Sebastian purred playfully, stepping closer to Blaine with a suggestive twinkle in his eye. Blaine put the mixing bowl down and folded his arms across his chest, trying to do all he could to appear taller.

"They won't go easily, Sebastian," Blaine told him, playing along. "You can't just be all talk and no walk, this time."

"I'd say I'd walk all over you, but then you'd basically just be giving me the cupcakes, and who's not keeping their word, then?" Sebastian smirked, towering over Blaine with the aura of someone who was sure they'd already won.

"You won't intimidate me. Cupcakes are serious business."

"So am I."

Blaine lent a hand on the counter, biting his lip and tilting his head to the side. "You really think you're worthy of a cupcake?"

"I _know _I am," Sebastian said, mimicking Blaine's actions. Blaine's own smile grew in an almost sly manner.

"Come closer," he murmured. Sebastian did as he was told, conveniently struck by the memory of Blaine kissing him once again now that the space between them was lessening. "Closer," Blaine whispered, and Sebastian's mouth went dry, unable to stop himself from glancing down at Blaine's lips before looking back into his eyes again. There was something mischievous there, and Sebastian couldn't help the small tug at the corner of his lips as he admired Blaine's impeccable confidence. "Hey, Bas," Blaine said softly. "Did you just take a shower?"

"…Yeah?" Sebastian replied, a little thrown off.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for wha…" A sudden cloud of flour colliding with his face erased any confused thoughts from his mind, and he instead stood gaping at Blaine, who was now a heap of laughter before his very eyes. He looked around the countertop, grabbing a handful of flour and only just about catching the word 'gel' from Blaine before emptying the handful over his head, smiling with utter satisfaction.

"That's gonna stick!" Blaine whined, scooping up more flour and aiming it at Sebastian but missing, this time.

"Don't play the player, Killer," Sebastian teased. "I know your Achilles heel."

"Yeah, well, what's yours?" Blaine asked. Sebastian just grinned and shook his head, and Blaine deliberated for a moment before smiling, again. "Then I guess there's only one thing for it."

"Oh?"

No sooner had the word left Sebastian's mouth before Blaine had brought a hand up and cracked an egg over Sebastian's head, running his fingers through so it spread across his head. Sebastian gawked at him once again, just staring at him wordlessly for a moment with no means of comeback – until he armed himself with the whole bag of flour.

A squeal of something between delight and caught unaware escaped Blaine, and he ran around the other side of the kitchen island while Sebastian followed, flour catching the smaller boy whenever he could get him. Blaine quickly found the box of cocoa, holding it up like his own 'weapon' was superior but Sebastian just laughed and threw more flour at him. Blaine gave a gleeful chuckle, no longer running away and instead aiming as much cocoa over Sebastian's hair as he could, watching as the bits that hit where the egg was stayed much more stubbornly.

"Well, who knew," Blaine grinned. "You pull of chocolate brown so well!"

"Not as well as you pull off heavy dandruff," Sebastian quipped back, pouring a considerable amount of flour over Blaine's head only to get half of it back on him when Blaine shook his head. Sebastian giggled, running to the other side of the kitchen chased by Blaine just to turn around and crack an egg over Blaine's already floury head. Blaine practically yelped as the yolk ran down his back, and grabbed the bowl of icing he'd been previously mixing together, scooping some onto his fingers and smearing it across Sebastian's face. Sebastian laughed, managing to get his own hand into the bowl just before Blaine could take it away and dotted a large splodge onto his nose, laughing when Blaine attempted to lick it off but wasn't quite able to reach. Licking at the icing on his own face, Sebastian suddenly found himself delighted at the taste.

"Are these _alcoholic, _Blaine?" he asked, a smile of disbelief gracing his part icing-covered lips.

"Baileys," Blaine nodded, digging his finger into the icing just to lick it into his mouth. "I supposed I'd have to make something to please you."

Sebastian smiled, almost in awe. "I'm almost disappointed half of this was wasted on my face."

"Maybe it's not wasted," Blaine remarked, giving Sebastian no time to think before he stood right on his toes and licked a big clump of icing off Sebastian's cheek. When he pulled away, a cheeky grin sat happily across his features, but all Sebastian could think about was there was frosting on his lips he would all but object to Blaine licking off.

"I dunno," Sebastian murmured. "I mean, I'm sure I taste pretty great but the icing would probably taste even better on a cupcake."

Blaine shrugged. "But it _looks _better on you."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows, and Blaine smiled, reaching towards the bowl to get more icing for Sebastian's face but Sebastian beat him to the punch. Holding it above his head, Blaine couldn't even reach it at a jump, and he sighed, attempting a different approach by poking Sebastian in the stomach to see if he flinched. When he did, his smile grew, and Sebastian's eyes filled with panic.

"I think I found your Achilles Heel," Blaine smirked, and before he knew it, Sebastian was being tickled to the point he was on the floor shrieking with laughter, surprised at Blaine's strength with how he could pin him to the floor and tickle him all whilst prying a bowl of icing from Sebastian's hands. Eventually, Sebastian had to give in, letting go of the bowl in favour of pushing Blaine's hands away and inhaling deeply to get his breath back. Blaine celebrated his victory by licking off a blob of icing that was on Sebastian's nose.

"Ticklish," Blaine grinned. "I should've known."

"So not cool," Sebastian moaned, attempting to move but Blaine had him securely fixed between his legs. He held eye contact with Sebastian, taking a rather large amount of the icing onto his finger and putting the whole thing into his mouth with a smug smile, licking his lips in satisfaction.

"Tastes like victory!"

"This isn't over, Anderson," Sebastian growled playfully, trying to push him off again but Blaine kept him there with a smirk and responded to Sebastian's statement by dotting more icing onto his face. Sebastian's face scrunched up, making a swipe for the bowl again just to have Blaine move it out of his reach, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get out of Blaine's grasp.

"Problem?" Blaine asked, now happily eating icing and even scooping some off of Sebastian's face for himself. Sebastian huffed.

"You're stronger than I thought you were," he admitted.

"I work out," Blaine winked, and Sebastian just raised his eyebrows. Unconsciously, he licked across his bottom lip to clean up some of the icing, smiling as the sweetness hit his tongue and watching attentively as Blaine's eyes dropped to his mouth. It was real, this time, the tension between them – and it was heightened now that Blaine had _actually kissed him _before. When Sebastian was done, he could see the way Blaine's adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed dryly, unable to regain the composure he'd so easily lost. Sebastian was satisfied that even though he was trapped under Blaine, he had the upper hand.

"Taste good, though," Sebastian finally said. "The icing." Blaine just nodded, and Sebastian smirked, resting his hands behind his head. "Soooo, while we're here, might I ask why exactly you were presumably listening to a French language tape and repeating it to yourself?"

"Uh…" Blaine stuttered, slinking back a little and looking anywhere but into Sebastian's eyes. "I was just… It's not important."

"Hey," Sebastian murmured, tugging on the edge of Blaine's shirt. "You know, if you wanna learn, I can try and teach you a bit? But I should warn you my past experiences have often transitioned to a much more hands on experience."

Blaine laughed softly, but there was obviously some kind of confliction behind his eyes and Sebastian was afraid he'd done something wrong. Cautiously, he reached up and stroked his thumb across Blaine's cheekbone, feeling something catch in his throat when Blaine's eyes finally met his. There was such an overbearing vulnerability there that Sebastian almost gave up trying to talk to him in favour of scooping him into his arms.

"What is it?" Sebastian asked. He couldn't see any reason that French would be such a complicated matter to a person, but Blaine was obviously troubled, and he was the last person he wanted to toss aside. Blaine opened his mouth to speak, but it was a few seconds before any words came out, as if selecting every word he was about to say very carefully.

"I'm listening to the French tapes because a while ago, you said something to me… Something that sounded important," he started. "But I never got to know what it was, and… I can't really remember what you said. So I thought if I listened… Maybe a word would kick-start my memory, or it would sound familiar and I could start piecing together what you said? I get how creepy that must sound," Blaine realised, looking down at his hands. "But if it's any consolation, it's not working."

Sebastian's brow furrowed, knowing exactly what Blaine was talking about despite having thrown several French phrases his way. He pushed himself up with minimal effort now that Blaine wasn't trying to keep him down, but the other boy stayed in his lap, watching his face for some kind of response that would tell him where to go from there. Sebastian's gaze was intense and maybe a little scared, but there was a ghost of a smile on his features as he caught sight of the flour stuck in Blaine's eyelashes. He cupped Blaine's cheek, just as he'd done the first time he'd told him, and Blaine's mouth fell open ever so slightly, as though he realised.

"Il ne te mérite pas," he told him, and Blaine's eyes widened the slightest bit in anticipation. "You want me to tell you what it means?"

"Yes," Blaine whispered immediately, but Sebastian's mouth was dry, struck by an uncommon sense of nervousness. He swallowed, but nothing could push past the lump in his throat, and he frowned, building a sense of frustration against his own nerves just so he could get past them.

"It means he doesn't deserve you," he finally said. "And it's still true. It'll always be true."

Blaine's expression barely changed, still frantically searching Sebastian's face while he processed what he said. But despite the implication against Kurt, the first thing Blaine found himself saying was,

"It's you I don't deserve."

A grin immediately broke out on Sebastian's face, and he shook his head, his heart beating so hard it was making him feel sick. "No," he murmured, still smiling softly. "I don't deserve _you. _But I'm gonna try."

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked. Sebastian licked his lips, looking at Blaine thoughtfully as he tried to work out how on Earth he could answer that when he caught Blaine's eyes for the briefest second flickering down to his lips. He stilled – sure, Blaine had kissed him before, but this was different. There was no justification, but as he traced the outline of Blaine's lips with his eyes before meeting his gaze once again, he couldn't see any immediate recoil in Blaine. He knew he had to make his intentions very clear, so as he moved in, he did so achingly slow. Their hair was full of egg and flour, and they were sprawled on the just as covered kitchen floor, but realising Blaine was making a move forward, too, Sebastian found he didn't care. All he cared about was how he could feel Blaine's breath on his lips sending shivers down his spine, and how long it'd been since he'd _really _kissed someone, but this was Blaine. And Blaine meant more to him than the seconds it took to lose everything in a kiss.

"If I kissed you now, would you regret it?" he asked, in a whisper. Blaine's eyes closed, but any reply was lost when the sound of the kitchen timer pierced through the kitchen. Sebastian sighed, briefly leaning his head against Blaine's before pulling back, giving him space to vacate his position on Sebastian's lap to tend to the alarm. Sebastian couldn't help but feel like someone underwater who'd come so close to air only to find they couldn't swim any further.

He got up to leave, overwhelmed with the feeling that he was a let-down, an embarrassment, but Blaine was quick on his tail and stopped him before he even made it out the door.

"Hey," he murmured, catching Sebastian's hand and pulling him back. There was no missing the shock in his eyes. "Just tell me. Please? Tell me what you meant?"

Sebastian looked at him for a second, trying to take something from his expression that would reassure him Blaine wasn't mad or repulsed about him trying to kiss him, but when he found nothing, he realised forward was the only way. If he didn't try, he'd only regret it. "It means I'm gonna fight for you," he told him, nodding and swallowing back his nerves. "And I'm gonna start by taking you out on Thursday."

"But Thursday's-"

"Your birthday," Sebastian nodded. Blaine gawked at him, the smile on his face one of something akin to disbelief. "If it makes it easier for you, don't think of it as… a date thing. Just think of it as an us thing."

"And what are you gonna think of it as?" Blaine asked. Sebastian just smirked, taking a step closer and smoothing down a curl that had sprung free from Blaine's gel.

"I'll pick you up at six," he grinned, giving him a quick, parting wink before finally letting go of his hand and leaving the kitchen, ready to take another shower. Blaine found himself staring after him for a long time, trying to work out just what to feel before he realised he was smiling a ridiculous, giddy grin. He didn't know what to think of this, or if he could really not count Sebastian's proposal as a date when the other boy clearly did, but his mind was occupied on what had happened before – and how he couldn't help but wonder if Sebastian really needed to fight for him, or if he'd already won.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Sebastian did his best to concentrate on the window, thinking of anything he could other than where he was and why he was there. He was particularly paying compliments to the weather, pleased with the clear sky and the sun that meant Blaine's birthday was already off to a perfect start, even if he couldn't be there to see him enjoying it. He checked his phone for the twentieth time, trying to pay no attention to the footsteps he could hear coming down the echoey, grey corridor, and hated how the quiet receptionist behind the desk was trying to catch his eye just to silently tell him she pitied him. Eventually, or perhaps too soon, the double doors opened, and Sebastian finally had to pay attention as a clean shaven, muscular officer escorted a much more raggedy, scruffy man dressed in a suit that would've been expensive if not for all the creases in the shirt, the rips in the pants, the vomit stain on the sleeve. The man could only look at Sebastian briefly before averting his gaze, his shabby hair falling in his eyes as if to shield him from the guilt. Sebastian shook his head.

"Thanks for taking care of him," he mumbled, but his tone was far from grateful. He stood up, looking at the man until he finally raised his eye level to Sebastian's, immediately wincing and looking away when he saw the cold in his eyes. Sebastian folded his arms, frowning in attempt to keep his emotions at bay. When the officer finally left them, Sebastian gave him a small shove towards the door, staying quick on his heels so he knew there was no easy escape.

"Come on, Dad," he said, barely able to watch his father stumble out the door. "I bought you a coffee. It's probably gone cold. I guess I wasn't counting on you not be able to stand up for so long."

"I don't want it," his dad slurred, walking a very wobbly path as he tried to keep in step with Sebastian. Sebastian sighed, stopping by a bench and placing a firm hand on his dad's shoulder.

"Sit down," he instructed. After his dad just looked at him, far too long for his own liking, he frowned more, swallowing down the feeling of nausea in his own stomach. "_Sit down,_" he repeated, voice raised to the point it was slightly fearful. "And drink your coffee."

His dad looked at him for a while longer, before finally, he smirked, taking the coffee and not even noticing as it immediately splashed all over his hand. "You taking care of me now, Sebby?"

"Shut up," Sebastian told him, sitting on the other side of the bench. There was a long silence between them, Sebastian not even daring to look at his father while the other man struggled to keep his head from lolling to the side, staring at the coffee cup like he couldn't quite remember how it got there. When Sebastian looked at him, it was all he could do not to let the tears threatening to prick at his eyes form, especially when his dad caught him.

"Why're you here?" his dad asked, something almost disgusted in his tone. Sebastian clenched his jaw, folding his arms.

"Because I was the only person who could come and get you," Sebastian spat. "I can't believe you, dad. I thought you were trying to get better." When his dad just laughed, Sebastian felt something flare up in him. "This isn't funny! Look at you. You're a grown man, and your son had to come and collect you from jail for being completely off your face at 8am in the morning!"

"In my defence," his dad perked, holding up a lazy, wavering finger like he was trying to make a point, "I started drinking at 2am."

"Why?" Sebastian asked, hating how his dad didn't react at all when his voice cracked. "Are you even going to those meetings that are meant to help you? Are you even trying?"

"Why would I do that?" his dad laughed. "There's no point, Sebby."

"Stop calling me that," Sebastian growled. His dad just laughed again, and the carelessness caused a pang in Sebastian's chest.

"Are you gonna stop calling me 'dad'?" he slurred.

"Does Valerie know? That you're not trying?"

"Why would I tell her that?" he asked. "'m not an _idiot, _Sebastian."

"No, you're worse. And the worst part is, you don't care."

"Why would I ca-"

"Because of your family!" Sebastian snapped. "I thought you were getting better. Or at least trying. I thought… I thought I was gonna be able to come home."

"Right," his dad chuckled. "And I'd embrace you in my willing arms and kiss your forehead and tell you how I'm gonna make up for all the lost years."

Sebastian shook his head, clenching his jaw harder and looking away. It was all he could do not to abandon him right there. "Please go to rehab, dad," he begged. "Let them help you. You had a career, and a family, and a _life. _You can get that back."

"No," his dad whispered, a self-depreciating smile on his face. For the first time that morning, Sebastian was finally seeing someone who cared; someone who was broken but not twisted. "I can't."

"You _can_," Sebastian stressed. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

"You're the only one."

"Valerie hasn't abandoned you. Paris was always her calling. And you can get everything else back as soon as you clean up!"

"Why haven't you given up, yet, Sebastian?" his dad asked, looking at him with a pained expression. "Just let me be. Find a new home or something."

"No, you promised," Sebastian reminded him desperately. "You promised as soon as you got better, I could come back. That's the only reason I left. You can't-"

"You should've left ages ago," his dad interrupted, sloshing more coffee over the bench. "You should've stayed with Valerie. Maybe that's what you should do, now. Go back to her. I only agreed to that dumb deal to get you off my back," he admitted, and Sebastian's face completely fell. "I was hoping you'd just leave me from there."

"Dad," Sebastian begged, his voice suddenly much smaller. "You have to try. Please. Before you blow all the money you made."

"Is that what this is about?" his dad grunted. "You're worried the bank of dad's gonna be permanently shut down?"

"No," Sebastian whispered. "That money is proof that you were once a great man. You can be that man again, dad. And you can be a real dad to me. Just… please," he begged. "Stop drinking."

His dad looked at him for a long time, and Sebastian was sure he could see just a glimpse of warmth in his eyes that gave him hope. But eventually, his dad just shook his head, looking down at the coffee and taking a sip. Sebastian sighed, grabbing the cup out his hands and throwing it into the trash as he got to his feet.

"Stand up," he instructed coldly, not looking at him. "I'm driving you home."

From that point on, he walked a few paces in front of his dad until he got to the car, only turning around to check he was still following him. Truthfully, he was grateful for the silence on the way home, not having anything else to say to him. Not like this, anyway.

* * *

"Happy birthday!"

"Thanks," Blaine laughed, holding the phone to his ear against his shoulder while he tried to adjust the new bowtie found inside the box Kurt had labelled _do not open until your birthday! _"And thanks for the bowtie, Kurt. You were right – a green bow tie _does _bring out my eyes."

"Awwh, honey, I wish I could be there to see," Kurt pouted. Blaine smiled, finding his conversation with Kurt almost being like autopilot. "What are you doing to celebrate?"

"Well, I don't have much lined up," Blaine admitted. "I mean, it's a great day, so I'm fine with just having some chill time in the sun, but I'm going out with Sebastian, later."

"What?"

"He was the only person to actually offer to do something for my birthday," Blaine continued. "My parents haven't been returning my calls, but I haven't tried today, yet. I think might have to personally go round there and remind them they have another son."

"Just Sebastian?" Kurt asked.

"I think so," Blaine sighed. "He hasn't really given me any clues about tonight at all."

"I expect he's gonna take you to one of his favourite, trashy hang outs," Kurt mumbled. "Be careful, okay?"

"Sebastian's not gonna let anything happen to me," Blaine pointed out. Kurt's nostrils flared at the other end of the phone, annoyed Blaine still didn't get that Sebastian _was _the thing he was scared was going to happen to him.

"Look, Blaine… It's your birthday, and I want you to have fun, but-"

"Do you trust me?" Blaine asked, really not wanting to hear another round of _so here's why Sebastian's not a good person._

"I've told you before, it's not you I don't trust. It's-"

"Right," Blaine said. "Then trust me to do the right thing, okay? It's all gonna be fine. I'm gonna have a great birthday, and you're gonna have a great day in DC, and when you call again tomorrow you'll see that I'm right, okay? So don't worry."

"Okay," Kurt sighed. "Just… Okay."

"Okay," Blaine smiled. "And thanks again for the bowtie."

"Don't mention it," Kurt smiled, though it sounded half hearted, and Blaine was sure it was because of how much he'd cut him off while talking. "Have a good day, okay? I'll speak to you later. Love you."

"…Love you," Blaine nodded, shutting off the phone before he could think any more on the words that didn't feel quite right in his mouth. It wasn't that he didn't love Kurt – but there was also no denying the fracture in their relationship, and how easy he was finding it to pull away from him without him there. Loving him was almost like a habit.

He sighed, dropping the phone onto the couch and carrying on with his day. However, his thinking that his day would be rather uneventful couldn't be more wrong –

His family had paid him a surprise visit not long after Kurt had phoned, and although Blaine felt rather strange spending time with his own family in another family's house, it turned out to be a more than pleasant visit. No only had his parents caught his hints about his love for superhero movies, buying him a very extensive collection for his present, but they also told him he could finally come home – something Blaine wasn't sure how to respond to at first, having got so used to it at the Hummel's and admittedly wanting to spend more care free time with Sebastian before Kurt got back. Luckily for him, though, he managed to negotiate his moving back time to the end of the week without any problem.

Once they'd gone, leaving Blaine to eat and watch the beginning of Captain America, he found himself entertaining another guest in the form of Jeff. The bouncing blonde Warbler had brought him a birthday cake, which he made sure Blaine had a slice of then and there because it _was _his birthday, and starting it any other time would be blasphemous (but Blaine could tell Jeff just wanted some cake, too). Trent visited not look after, apparently having meant to arrive with Jeff but left his birthday card behind which simply wouldn't do on Blaine Anderson's birthday. Blaine laughed, and happily watched the rest of the movie with them while they laughed and messed around, just like old times. When it hit 5pm, though, he had to bid them goodbye, still smiling for ages even after they'd departed and was sure there was no way things could go any more in his favour.

It wasn't until that evening he realised how wrong he was.

* * *

Blaine felt like he was in a dream.

Sebastian had arrived as soon as the clock struck six, barely giving Blaine any time to panic despite the obscure anxieties that kept crossing his mind. He'd decided to go easy on the gel, remember Sebastian comment on how he liked it better that way in passing, but as time ticked on, he started to worry he just looked unruly, and that his new green bow tie against his dark shirt was far too bold even though he'd liked it to begin with. He'd even started picking on the colour of his skin tone, wondering if Kurt had been right to try smuggling bronzer into his moisturizer, but eventually he remembered it was just a _him and Sebastian _thing, and finally, he calmed down.

There was no shortage of moments that had his heart beating harder, though. As soon as he'd opened the door and seen Sebastian standing there, his appearance effortlessly gorgeous and his smile inexplicably mischievous, he knew he was in for an eventful night. They'd taken a chauffeured car to their first destination, the driver apparently already knowing where to go without Sebastian having to tell him so Blaine had no hope of finding out until they got there. His constant guesses kept Sebastian entertained, though, but he'd simply tease him in return, and it was all Blaine could do not to huff. He had managed to find out that Sebastian had been at Nick's all day, though, but when Blaine asked why, he was simply met with the same smirk that told him he'd have to wait to find out.

Eventually, they pulled up by a large, open iron gate just outside of a town that opened up to a long, concrete path through a well-tended garden. Sebastian smiled, getting out the car quickly and opening the boot to take out a wicker basket. Blaine's eyes fell on it as soon as he was out the car, too, staring at it for a moment before looking back at Sebastian with eyes shining with glee.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked, his voice doing nothing to hide his amusement. Sebastian smirked, leaning back into the boot to take out a small, chequered blanket and toss it at Blaine.

"You bet it is, Killer," he grinned, closing the boot and giving the car a hard tap. The driver's hand gave him a quick wave before departing, leaving just the two of them – and a picnic.

Sebastian led the way through what quickly became evident to Blaine as a huge park. The path was wide, but they were soon wandering off towards the trees, Sebastian clearly knowing exactly where they were going. When Blaine asked, he only smirked in reply, and he'd reached out a couple of times with the intention of holding Blaine's hand but found himself shying away. Sure, they'd held hands before, but this felt different. It was a wonder to him why people went on dates, when all it did for him was make him second guess himself.

After they'd walked for a while, messing around and teasing each other to the point Sebastian had to stay on his guard so Blaine wouldn't tickle him, they finally got to their destination, reaching an opening in the trees. Blaine was completely taken aback by what he was faced with – the grassy piece of land was surrounded by trees behind them, but in front of them was a crazily steep hill that no one had a chance of climbing up, and beyond that laid a distant city scape; close enough for them to be able to make things out, but far away enough not to hear anything. The evening sun hit the buildings in such a way, they looked almost golden, and Blaine couldn't help be completely enchanted by their tranquil spot situated to face such an alive backdrop.

Finally, he turned to look at Sebastian, who was watching him with a private smile on his face that he immediately had to laugh off when Blaine caught his eye.

"So is this okay?" he asked, knowing full well it was more than that but still couldn't help asking.

"Bastian…" Blaine started breathlessly, and Sebastian couldn't help laugh again. "How did you even know about this place?"

"Valerie took me here a lot when I was younger," Sebastian explained happily, setting out the picnic blanket. "She used to come here a lot with her long term boyfriend or something, but when everything could get so crazy back at home, she tried to take me here a lot. I haven't actually been back here since Paris… But it hasn't changed."

"It's amazing," Blaine gushed, sitting tight next to Sebastian once he'd sat and patted the space next to him. "It's weird how you can see the city but hear the birds."

Sebastian nodded, laughing softly to himself as memories from this place came flooding back. Blaine couldn't help but smile too, glad that there was evidence of something _positive _from Sebastian's past. Unable to help himself, he leaned up and quickly kissed Sebastian on the cheek, his expression immediately turning bashful when Sebastian turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"What was that for?" he asked, and Blaine had to giggle at how off guard he had taken him.

"It was a thank you," Blaine smiled. "Kurt never really wants to share things with me. Not things like this. I can't go in the treehouse… I can't _really _go in the piano room… And you took me straight to the spot that makes you smile like that when you remember it."

Sebastian just looked at him for a moment before a large grin broke out over his face, but try as he might act like he wasn't, Blaine could see the light blush tinging his cheeks.

"Sebastian: one, Kurt: zero," he joked, laying out the picnic in front of them. "But I guess I'm kinda getting a home field advantage right now."

Blaine nodded, but he wasn't really listening, watching as Sebastian extracted all the food from the basket. The only thing that could really be considered normal was the sandwiches, which Blaine quickly saw were chicken mayo which just happened to be his favourite. Everything else seemed slightly obscure, but in a way that Blaine loved – there was a pot of melted chocolate to be teamed up with small banana and strawberry skewers, Blaine's guilty pleasure snack that Sebastian had caught him making a few of times, alongside a couple packs of biscuits that certainly weren't from America and a large bag of paprika flavoured potato chips. Blaine wondered how many more ways Sebastian could surprise him.

"This is what Nick was helping me with, by the way," Sebastian explained, turning around and grinning with amusement at Blaine's elated surprise.

"I don't know what to… Is that wine?" Blaine asked, as Sebastian took the last items from the basket out and placed two glasses and, indeed, a wine bottle on the blanket.

"I kinda had to guess with that one," Sebastian admitted. "But you seem more like a red wine person."

"I… yeah," Blaine stuttered. "You've gone to a lot of trouble."

Sebastian shook his head, like that statement was the silliest thing he'd ever heard. "No trouble, Killer. Just the fun of putting together Blaine's bizarre birthday picnic."

"You gave it a name?" Blaine chuckled, touched at how keen Sebastian was to make sure he didn't think he was giving him a lot of trouble.

"I had to," Sebastian grinned. "Your eating habits could rival a pregnant ladies, and they eat some weird stuff."

Blaine just laughed, happily accepting the picnic now and proceeded to eat one of the sandwiches, extremely satisfied with it to the point he couldn't stop smiling at Sebastian. When they got to the strawberry and banana skewers, Blaine found he had to help Sebastian out, watching him struggle for a good minute or so as he tried to find a tidy way of dipping the fruit into the pot without losing any or getting the chocolate everywhere. Once he managed it, Blaine tried to convince him to let him feed him a strawberry, but it took a long time - and when Sebastian declared it was his turn, he dotted some of the chocolate onto Blaine's nose before popping it into his own mouth. Blaine pouted, and Sebastian only pouted back at him but eventually gave in, feeding him another one and laughing when Blaine took it from him in the most overly sexual way that he could. Once they'd finished eating, the two of them had laughed so much they'd began to feel a little sick.

"This is so great," Blaine hummed, now leaning against Sebastian with a glass of wine in his hand and his head tucked into the crook of Sebastian's shoulder, the other boy's arm around him so he couldn't go anywhere even if he wanted to. Which he didn't. "You know you don't have to do all this though, right? Extravagant gestures and magical parks."

"People do stuff like this all the time, don't they?" Sebastian asked. "But we can eat on the garage floor next time, if you'd prefer."

"No," Blaine giggled. "I just mean you don't have to _impress _me."

"I'm not trying to impress you, Killer," Sebastian told him. "I just wanna give you the birthday you deserve."

"Well, you've definitely set a bar for all birthdays to come."

"I guess," Sebastian agreed, reaching into the picnic basket to pull out a white envelope. "This probably won't help that, either."

"What's this?" Blaine asked, taking the envelope from him and sitting up. Sebastian smiled, feeling weirdly nervous.

"Your birthday present," he revealed. "Maybe I should've put it in a box and then wrapped it in lots of different wrapping paper so you wouldn't look so confused."

Blaine laughed, eagerly tearing the envelope open but being very careful not to rip it (which Sebastian couldn't help find endearing), and reaching inside, his jaw immediately dropping when he registered what it was – two tickets to see Katy Perry, live in concert.

Blaine was sure his heart had stopped.

"Bas…"

"If you say one thing about money," Sebastian warned, still feeling anxious but losing the feeling almost immediately when Blaine flung his arms around him, and Sebastian had to use all his strength to stop them toppling over at the sheer force of the hug. He smiled, hugging him back and delighted that Blaine was so happy – and because of _him._ He felt like his heart could be glowing in his chest, Blaine turning to bury his head in Sebastian's neck and chuckle softly against his skin, before sighing and relaxing against him. The easy intimacy made Sebastian feel more loved than he ever had, and Blaine wasn't far off from feeling the same – Sebastian didn't have to do this, he _really _didn't, but Blaine realised the fact was he could, and so, he did. He thought he was worth all of this. Blaine didn't know how to thank him.

"You're coming with me, right?" he asked softly, pulling away but letting his arms hang loose around Sebastian's neck.

"What?"

"To the concert," Blaine smiled. "If you hadn't assumed you were getting the other ticket, I'd ask you, anyway."

"I'd be honoured," Sebastian chimed, wishing Blaine's eyes weren't lingering on his lips. It already took far too much willpower not to kiss him.

"How can I thank you?" Blaine asked, and his low, intimate tone combined with where his eyes were looking was almost too much for Sebastian. He swallowed, his mouth rapidly growing dry as he thought of what _could _happen – leaning forwards to brush his own lips against Blaine's and finally, _finally _feeling what it was like to kiss the only boy who had any real effect on his heart. Even the setting was perfect, this time, and there was absolutely nothing to distract them, but he knew he couldn't. Despite the fine line they were treading, Blaine was taken, and not by him, no matter how bad he wanted it.

"Bastian," Blaine whispered, and it wasn't until then the boy in question realised he'd been staring at Blaine's lips.

"Sorry," he mumbled, smiling but blushing and looking away, the frustration that he didn't well and truly have Blaine just multiplying. Blaine tilted his head, feeling guilty – he knew exactly what was winding Sebastian up without him having to say anything, but there wasn't really anything he could do. He bit his lip, tilting Sebastian's head back up to look at him and feeling something tighten in his chest at the pure vulnerability in Sebastian's eyes. It was like he was ashamed of himself for feeling that, and he didn't like it.

"Tu… um…" Blaine started, dropping his head and thinking. Sebastian's expression changed, frowning slightly in curiosity. Was Blaine trying to do what he thought he was trying to do? "Tu me fais… v-vraiment… plaisir."

After a beat, Sebastian found he couldn't hold back the laughter bubbling in his chest, but immediately felt guilty when Blaine blushed and looked away. He sat up straighter and bit his lip, finally finding the courage to lace his fingers through Blaine's and hold his hand so he could show Blaine he didn't mean it in a malicious way at all.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled, squeezing his hand. "I shouldn't laugh. That was adorable."

"It was wrong, though," Blaine said sadly, looking down. Sebastian suddenly wished he could snap his fingers and change the entire French language so Blaine was right, just so he didn't look like that.

"It doesn't matter," Sebastian told him, shaking his head. "It was perfect to me."

A tiny smile formed on Blaine's lips, and he raised his gaze, tilting his head hopefully. "Did you at least understand?" he asked.

"I make you happy?"

"_Really _happy," Blaine nodded. Sebastian had to supress another laugh.

"I wouldn't find it funny, it's just… the way you phrased it. It sounds like you're trying to hit on me. Badly."

"…I _did _use Google translate," Blaine admitted coyly, and Sebastian grinned, tilting his head in a way that wordlessly said _oh, you. _

"_Tu me rend vraiment heureux_," he said. "That's what you were trying to say."

Blaine nodded, brows knitting in concentration. "Tu me… rarnd…"

"_Rend,_" Sebastian corrected, the smile never leaving his face as he watched Blaine adoringly.

"…rend," Blaine repeated, looking at Sebastian until he gave him the nod to continue, speaking very slowly. "Tu me… rend… vraitment he-heureux."

"_Parfait," _Sebastian chimed, his heart warming at how pleased Blaine looked with himself.

"Thanks," Blaine chuckled, happily finding his place back in the crook of Sebastian's shoulder when Sebastian wordlessly wound his arm around him. "But I think I'll just leave the French to you."

"You got it, Killer," Sebastian laughed, biting his tongue against the innuendo jokes. "We could totally go there, you know. To France."

"Hmm?"

Sebastian blushed. "Sorry, I guess I didn't… That was stupid. Forget it."

Blaine turned so he could meet his eye, suddenly intrigued. "If we were in France right now, what would you do?"

After a moment, Sebastian's face broke out in a smile, gazing down at Blaine and bringing up the hand that wasn't wrapped around him to graze softly against his cheek. "I'd kiss you," he replied simply, and Blaine's heart stopped for the second time that evening. There was no wavering in Sebastian's expression; he just continued to watch Blaine with those eyes that captivated him, intense and delicate all at the same time. Blaine swallowed, his chest tightening and his gaze struggling to stay locked on Sebastian's when his lips were bare centimetres away. He was sure, laying together in their secluded, sun-painted part of the world, that he'd never felt stronger for Sebastian.

"We should go to Paris," Blaine murmured.

"_Chaque chose en son temps, mon amour,_" Sebastian replied, breaking his gaze to look out over the view in front of them but still catching Blaine's confused expression in the corner of his eye.

"Hmm?"

Sebastian chuckled. "All in good time," he started, but bit his lip, ending his translation there. Blaine tilted his head, sitting up a little more so Sebastian couldn't ignore him.

"…Mon amour?"

"I thought you were leaving the French to me," Sebastian snapped playfully, and Blaine giggled, leaning his head back on Sebastian's shoulder. Sebastian smiled. "Don't get too comfy, Killer. We've still got the rest of the evening ahead of us."

"Oh?" Blaine asked, sitting up a little more. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, it is your birthday," he pointed out, playfully walking his fingers up his chest. "Don't you think a party is in order?"

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter turned out much longer than I expected so I've had to split it into two. The whole thing was gonna be in one but woaaah.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Trigger warning for abuse/domestic violence. The details of the actual act itself aren't written, but if you are affected by it, please just PM me or ask me on Tumblr and I can sum up the chapter for you. Or read up until Sebastian gets home and skip until you get to the next break. **

**Also! I actually wrote out the clubby scene but I found it just made the chapter unnecessarily long, but if you wanted to read it, it's **grantgustinsfreckles**[**.**]**tumblr**[**.**]**com**[**/**]**post/48468851940/my-boyfriends-half-brother-blaine s-birthday** - without the bolded square brackets. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Blaine kept his eyes close as soon as he was aware he was waking up.

The first thing he was conscious of was the pounding in his head; a pounding that his first reaction had been to groan about, until he made a quick account of everything else around him. Everything else being _Sebastian. _The other boy's body was curled around him, the 'big spoon' to Blaine with his arm holding him secure against him. He could feel the soft rise and fall of Sebastian's bare chest against his back, his breath gentle on his neck. A small smile formed on his lips as he realised he was even surrounded by Sebastian's scent, and everything about it made him feel warm, safe. Happy.

He did his best not to stir at all; just trying to think through the treacherous hangover headache. There was a slight nauseated feeling in his stomach, but not to the point he had to be sick, and he concluded there could be no better cure right now than to lay there with Sebastian. He briefly wondered where his own shirt had gone – it was unlike him not to wear a shirt in bed, but he remembered feeling hot that night and taking it off completely unprompted. A small, content sigh escaped him. He had nothing to ponder regretting yet.

His brain sifted through the events of the night, some things a little hazy but he was happy to realise he remembered it all. Images flashed through his mind of the ridiculous dancing with Sebastian, the whispers in his ear encouraging him to let go, and he remembered that despite the unashamed flirting between them, Sebastian's obvious agenda the whole night was for him to have a good time. And he did. Even if he was paying the price for it, now.

There were a couple of things that he couldn't quite wrap his mind around, though – Blaine remembered Sebastian being grabbed by the collar by a complete stranger to Blaine while they were getting a drink - a stranger who he later found out was a mute, hence his silence. But the fact that he wasn't saying anything didn't make him any less intimidating; his cold blue eyes pierced into Sebastian, glaring at him like he could stab him just with a mere gaze. Blaine felt frozen even in his drunken haze when the man turned to look at him, and when he looked back at Sebastian, he just shook his head, like he couldn't quite believe it. "_It's not like that,_" he remembered Sebastian saying, but the man just spat in his eye and walked away, clearly no happier.

When Blaine asked what that was about, Sebastian couldn't even look at him.

"_We have a history," he murmured, and Blaine frowned, pointing out that Sebastian had told him he'd never had a boyfriend. "I haven't," Sebastian told him, shaking his head. "But he did. But they're not together now. Because of me." Blaine waited patiently for an explanation, reaching out for his hand but Sebastian just gently shook him out of his grasp. "I slept with his boyfriend."_

"_It's not your fault if you didn't know," Blaine said softly, taking hold of his arm. But Sebastian soon told him he _had_ known, and in truth, it broke Blaine's heart at first to hear. But Sebastian met his eyes and told him, "he wasn't even the first guy I did that to. But… he was the last." Blaine nodded, knowing all along Sebastian wasn't perfect – he'd just never seen the mistakes he'd made. "I'm trying, Blaine."_

The rest of the night had been light hearted and fun, crazy and silly; the two of them had laughed together so hard that Blaine could still feel the strain on his muscles the next morning. There was an awkward run in with Dave Karofsky, and he was surprised at how livid Sebastian was to have seen him, but Blaine didn't dawn on it – he wasn't letting anyone else ruin his evening. But then… Blaine bit his lip, his cheeks flushing slightly as he recalled the end of the evening – when he'd pulled Sebastian against him and tried to kiss him. He sighed, remembering how Sebastian had turned his cheek and Blaine had slunk back, a disappointed _"Oh" _escaping him with a sinking heart.

"_Blaine-" _

"_Why?" Blaine asked, his voice small and slurred. "I thought… I thought-"_

"_I want to kiss you," Sebastian confessed, wishing he didn't have to hear those words coming from his own mouth. "But not like this. You're drunk, Blaine. And… tomorrow you could wake up and regret this. Or forget it even happened."_

_Blaine tilted his head, biting his lip and looking down before meeting Sebastian's gaze again through his lashes. "You could always remind me?" he quipped, a small, playful smile on his lips. Despite the situation, Sebastian had to laugh. _

"_Cute, Killer," he smiled. "But no. Not tonight."_

"_I know I want to," Blaine pouted, stepping closer. "I've wanted to for aaaages, Sebastian."_

"_You're not a cheater, Blaine," Sebastian said a little fearfully. "And I don't wanna be the guy who turns you into one. We're drunk, and if I kissed you now… I'm scared it could lead to something else, and I'd have ruined this whole… us."_

"_Hmmm…" Blaine murmured thoughtfully, playing with Sebastian's collar. "But isn't it customary to end a date in a kiss?"_

_Sebastian raised his eyebrows, his heart involuntarily leaping. "So this was a date?"_

_Blaine smiled, and Sebastian smiled too, forgetting what Blaine's agenda had been for a moment as he wound his arms around his waist. Something hopeful appeared in Blaine's eyes, and Sebastian shook his head, but the smile stayed on his face. _

"_You'll get your kiss, Killer," he said softly, looking down at Blaine's lips appreciatively before meeting his gaze. "But not tonight."_

He couldn't help but blush as he remembered, a tiny, secret smile on his lips. His breath hitched when he suddenly felt Sebastian press closer, nuzzling into his neck before pressing an affectionate kiss to his shoulder. The smile stretched across Blaine's face, but he kept his eyes closed, not wanting to move from that spot.

"How long are you gonna pretend to be asleep for, Killer?" Sebastian asked teasingly, leaning his cheek against Blaine's shoulder. Blaine chuckled, finally opening his eyes and squinting even in the dull light of the room.

"Hmmm… as long as I stop feeling like crap?"

"You're gonna be there for a while, then," Sebastian smirked, tracing patterns across Blaine's stomach idly and causing him to tense under his fingers. Sebastian thought about getting his own back for all the times Blaine had tickle-attacked him, but decided that would be too mean. "Stay here," he murmured, squeezing his shoulder before pulling away from Blaine to get up. He didn't get very far before Blaine grabbed his wrist, looking up at him with tired eyes that nonetheless resembled that of a puppy's.

"Where are you going?" he asked, tugging Sebastian back towards him.

"It's a surprise," Sebastian smiled. "I promise you'll like it, Killer."

"Seb…" Blaine licked his lips, feeling a strange fluttering in his stomach as he smiled nervously and slid his hand into Sebastian's. The humour in Sebastian's expression disappeared for a moment, watching Blaine carefully. "Thank you for last night."

Sebastian knew Blaine well enough now to understand it wasn't just a surface gesture of gratitude, so he smiled back, squeezing his hand and using his other hand to ruffle Blaine's hair. "Of course," he grinned. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay," Blaine agreed, finally letting Sebastian go and watching him until he was out the bedroom door. He sighed, huddling back under the covers and curling up closer to the side Sebastian had been on. The hangover was barely present to him when his heart felt so full and happy, and he found himself unable to stop smiling, cuddling up into the bed more in the absence of Sebastian.

* * *

"Blaine? Hey, Blaine."

Blaine stirred, not even conscious of the fact he'd fallen asleep until he began the waking up process all over again. He turned to look at Sebastian, who was smirking at him but with something soft in his eyes.

"…mm sorry," Blaine mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He hoisted himself up and stretched, growing more and more aware of the smell of food in the room. Finally, he turned and saw, in Sebastian's lap, a tray that contained _everything _he needed and craved; a large glass of water, a packet of asprin… and a fry up. A _big _fry up. Blaine's eyes lit up.

"That looks incredible," he drooled, not taking his eyes off it and missing the fond gaze on him belonging to Sebastian.

"I thought you might like it," Sebastian said proudly, picking up the tray to give to Blaine. "I also got you a coffee, it's on the table by your side of… the bed."

Sebastian blushed, and Blaine could immediately tell why; Sebastian was coming off _incredibly _domestic.

"Thank you, dear," Blaine teased, sipping at his water. Sebastian laughed it off, moving so he was facing Blaine instead of sitting next to him, now sat with his legs crossed and his head tilted.

"So… do you… remembermuch of last night?"

"Yeah," Blaine nodded, speaking between mouthfuls. Sebastian nodded back, scratching the back of his neck and opening his mouth long before he actually spoke, like the words couldn't quite make it out.

"Do you… _regret_ any of last night?"

"No."

Sebastian's shoulders relaxed, and he smiled, suddenly very put at ease. Blaine wondered if it was something that was bothering him all morning, and he chuckled at him, moving his foot that was still under the duvet to nudge against Sebastian.

"You're not eating?"

"I already ate," Sebastian confessed. "I actually have to work this morning."

Blaine's face fell before he could stop it, but he had to smile again when Sebastian pouted at him, tilting his head and mimicking one of Blaine's many 'puppy' mannerisms.

"Fine," Blaine chuckled. "Will you be back early?"

"We'll see, Killer," Sebastian laughed. "Try not to miss me too much."

With that, Sebastian winked and slid off the bed, leaving Blaine in his room to enjoy the breakfast he'd made.

* * *

Blaine tried to keep himself looking at the clock.

The light was starting to fade from the sky, and still, he hadn't seen Sebastian all day. At first, he was grateful; he had a big decision to think through, an ultimatum that required nothing but himself. And a phone call to Kurt. And a quick call for help on his brother.

The day had almost been daunting, feeling too long and too alone, but at the same time feeling hectic because of the rate his mind was working at, but finally, he'd made a decision. A decision he'd been looking forward to telling Sebastian about for three hours and 47 minutes, now. He bit his lip, turning to see the clock approaching 9pm with no sign of Sebastian when he was painfully aware that the garage shut at 5. He thought about going up there himself, but at the same time, he didn't want to crowd Sebastian – they'd seen a lot of each other, and there was a chance he was simply just taking some time to himself.

So, he waited.

The television on the TV wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't gripping him, either; his eyes were on the window more than they were on the TV, and when Sebastian's car finally rolled up outside the house at twenty minutes past 9, Blaine couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped him. Unfortunately, the worry quickly returned when he saw the stormy expression on the other boys face as he approached the house, and he ran to the kitchen to put a coffee on for him before Sebastian finally entered the house.

"Bastian?" Blaine called out, walking towards the door to see him just standing there, his jaw clenched and his eyes down. Blaine hadn't seen him this closed off in a while. "What… What happened?"

Sebastian's eyes flickered to meet briefly Blaine's, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to hold composure. He shook his head, folding his arms and walking further into the house. Blaine started to feel sick.

"Bas?" he asked, his voice sounding small. "Where have you been?"

He slowed down, leaning against the wall and looking at Blaine in a way that broke his heart. He had no idea why; but whatever was behind his eyes was deep and painful, and when he shook his head again to look away, Blaine started to fear for the weight on Sebastian's heart.

"My dad's," he murmured, an audible croak in his voice. Blaine took a cautious step closer, like he was afraid any sudden movement would startle him.

"Did… Did something happen? Is there anything I can do?"

Sebastian shook his head again, his lips pressed tight together and his arms crossed tight as he tried to hold himself together, to not cry. Blaine found himself stumped, realising he didn't really know anything about Sebastian's dad apart from the fact he'd left Sebastian to live at the Hummel's for the summer, and he figured what he did find out judging from Sebastian's behaviour wasn't going to be pretty. He tried to find some words of comfort, but before he could speak them, Sebastian was pushing away from the wall, making a move further into the house.

"I'm gonna… call Valerie…" he mumbled, shaking his head and seeming so tense, it was a wonder he could even move. Blaine grabbed his wrist as he passed before he could really think about it, and Sebastian looked at him in such a way, it seemed to ask _why? _There was some kind of struggle evident on his face, and Blaine gave the tiniest shake of his head, begging him not to push him out. Sebastian bit his lip, and when he met Blaine's gaze again, it was fearful. It only took a few more seconds for Blaine to notice the beginnings of tears forming in Sebastian's eyes, and he immediately pulled him into a hug, his arms secure around his torso while Sebastian's arms wound around his shoulders, carefully but tight. It was a while before Sebastian was actually crying – and Blaine probably wouldn't have noticed, if it wasn't for the restrained way he was shaking, the small sniffs that he just couldn't hide. But even then, he was trying to stay relatively composed, like he wouldn't let whatever it was take over, and in a way, it only worried Blaine more. When Sebastian loosened his grip, he lead him into the living room before running back to the kitchen to bring him the decaffeinated coffee, glad to see the small smile on Sebastian's face when he accepted it. Once Sebastian had taken a sip, leaned back and sighed, he spoke again.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Sebastian shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You don't wanna know this, Blaine. Not this. I can't… burden you with this."

"You never burden me, Seb," Blaine pointed out, taking Sebastian's coffee from him and putting it down on the table. "But I do worry about you."

"I'm serious, Blaine," Sebastian told him, sounding exhausted.

"So am I."

"Blaine… my dad's…" he bit his lip, swallowing thick and refusing to look at Blaine as he spoke. "He's the reason I get the night terrors."

"I thought it was your mom?"

"That was a one off," he reminded him. "Which was why you're being there didn't help, then. It's usually a different dream. About my dad." There was a long silence between them, Sebastian just looking down and pointedly not at Blaine. Blaine found himself slowly reaching for Sebastian's hand, carefully taking it into his own to let him know that he was there; he was _always _there, and Sebastian didn't have to do this alone. Sebastian closed his eyes, and Blaine hated how _drained _he looked.

"I never thought we'd get close enough to talk about this," Sebastian admitted. "I guess… I don't really know _how _to talk about this."

Blaine tilted his head, covering their already joined hands with his other hand. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Bas," he said softly. "But maybe it could help? Especially if you've never really talked about it to anyone. It could be a weight off your mind. And maybe if I understand, maybe if you talk it out with someone… the night terrors will go?"

Sebastian contemplated for a moment, looking at Blaine fearfully and tightening his own grip on his hands. "You sure?" he asked in a timid voice.

"I'm sure," Blaine replied.

Sebastian looked at him a little longer before finally nodding, drawing a deep breath and speaking slow. The room felt somehow quieter than usual. "When… When mom died, my dad turned to alcohol." He swallowed, and Blaine squeezed his hand, already fearing where this was going. "He'd get really depressed, but sometimes, he'd… h-he'd get…" He took another deep breath. "He'd get violent. He would… blame me. For what happened. For _everything_. He'd say that… if it wasn't for me, none of this would've happened. Valerie was the only one who could stop it." Blaine nodded, finally understanding why Sebastian had called out her name the evening he'd waken him up in the middle of a night terror. "Luckily, he never hurt her. We ended up moving away from him. But… I found I couldn't just… _leave. _I was in Paris for such a long time, and I'd convinced myself if I came back, I could prove to my dad that things could get better. That they could _change. _But he hadn't changed," he shook his head. "I wanted to take care of him. But it started… happening again… And my dad told me to leave. He felt guilty. But I told him I wouldn't leave unless he tried to get better." He shrugged, his voice getting thicker and he bit his lip against the tears that began to form in his eyes again. "He lied. I left. I came here. I thought he was trying to get better, but… The other day I had to bail him out of jail when a cop caught him passing out drunk in a park. He's not even _trying._" Blaine hated the way his voice cracked, and he squeezed his hand, feeling tears of his own start to form. "I just want a home. I've never had a _home._ Not that I can remember. But he won't even try to be my dad. He doesn't _care _about…" He bit his lip again, closing his eyes tight and looking away from Blaine as a tear escaped against his desperate attempts to hold it together. "I went to see him today, after work, just to see how he was doing. And… I… wish I hadn't."

"What happened?" Blaine asked, but Sebastian just looked at him tearily as if to warn him off. Blaine's breath hitched, and he crawled into Sebastian's lap and flung his arms around his shoulders, holding him tight like he could keep him safe somehow.

"Blaine," Sebastian said warily, but Blaine just shook his head. Sebastian wrapped his arms around Blaine not nearly as tight, which killed Blaine; he couldn't pretend to understand this, not even come close, and what made it worse was realising this was probably all the reason Sebastian believed he was so worthless, so undeserving of actual affection. The thought only made him cling tighter, and Sebastian's face twisted sadly, finally giving in and holding him back tighter. "I made you cry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Blaine shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Bastian. Don't blame yourself."

"It's hard not to," he admitted. "Even though I know it's not. Not really."

"Bas, look at what you're doing," Blaine implored, pulling away so he could look Sebastian in the eye. "You're just… a broken piece of something that's been broken, and you're fixing it. No matter how slowly. And… you might feel guilty about this, but so does your dad. It's gonna take time, Seb… But it can get there."

"He doesn't care about me, Blaine," Sebastian whispered, his throat tight as he tried to swallow sadness another time. "He doesn't _want _me, anymore."

Another tear slipped out of Blaine's eye, his heart breaking for him and how he could still fight for his father despite what had happened. He didn't get how, but he wasn't going to question it; when it came to family, it very rarely made sense to other people.

"You're so strong, Seb," he told him. "And one day, your dad will see that. And he'll realise life handed him another chance because _you _managed to stay strong despite… all this. Maybe that's the best thing you can do for him, Bas… stay strong."

Sebastian nodded, biting his lip and closing his eyes when Blaine wiped a tear from his face. When he opened his eyes again, he smiled, looking at Blaine thankfully and pulling him back into the hug for a while longer, just so he could clear the tears from his eyes.

"Thank you," he murmured, once they'd finally parted again. "I think just being around you helps."

"Good," Blaine smiled, taking both of Sebastian's hands into his own. "'Cause I plan on staying around. Especially tonight. I'm cuddling you to sleep whether you like it or not."

"I'm okay with that, Killer," Sebastian grinned, and Blaine's smile grew, relieved to see some of Sebastian usual mannerisms seep back through.

"I have something to tell you," Blaine started, walking his fingers up Sebastian's chest playfully. "Although I'm not too sure that now is the right time…"

"I welcome _any _change of topic, Blaine," Sebastian chuckled. Blaine smiled, nodding again and biting his lip, this time out of anticipation.

"I'm gonna break up with Kurt."

Sebastian's eyes widened, apparently not expecting that at all, and Blaine couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you sure?"

"These past few days have been _amazing, _Bastian. And I really thought it through. I talked to Kurt casually earlier just to see how I felt… I even called my brother for advice. But I guess really I knew all along," he shrugged, and Sebastian let out a breathy laugh of disbelief, grinning like a child on Christmas day.

"Just to clarify – that means _we _get to be a thing, right?"

"Right," Blaine laughed, and Sebastian let out the same laugh as before until he was eventually just grinning, a blush crawling up his neck that Blaine smirked at as soon as it appeared. This time, when Sebastian hid his head in the crook of his shoulder, it was because he was laughing with joy.

* * *

"This better be good."

Santana almost didn't answer the call when she saw Dave Karofsky's name appear; more often than not, his calls to her were of the drunken kind, thanking her for being the first to accept his sexuality or moaning to her about being lonely. There was still daylight outside, though, so Santana was optimistic that Dave wasn't intoxicated enough to give Auntie Tana a drunk dial.

"Stay with me, Santana, we're on the same side. Did just a simple 'hello' ever hurt?"

"Hello, Dave," Santana smirked, her tone overly enthusiastic. "And may I say what a _pleasure _it is to hear your voice."

"There's just no middle ground with you, is there?" Dave huffed. Santana just smiled sweetly on her end of the phone, holding the cell between her ear and her shoulder while she filed her nails.

"What've you got for me, hot stuff?"

"Last night, I saw Blaine out with Sebastian. Like, _out _out."

"_What?_" Santana yelled, but there was a small turn up of her lips; there was no denying she _loved _how juicy it was.

"Seriously, they were both drunk, and Sebastian was being _extremely _protective of Blaine. They had their arms around each other."

"Were they doing the dirty?"

"Not that I saw," Dave told her, sounding almost disappointed. "I guess they were just very clingy to each other."

"Does Kurt know?"

"Not yet."

"Don't worry," Santana purred, a smirk forming on her lips. "I got this covered."

With that, she hung up the phone, barely stopping the filing of her nails just to put the phone back on the side before she resumed, an overly sweet smile on her face. To a degree, she disagreed with what was going on. In fact, for the most part, she was incredibly angry at the situation in the first place.

But she couldn't deny it was making her summer a lot more interesting.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: ...I'm so sorry this took so long. Not even gonna list the reasons. Just know that I love you. **

**Chapter 20**

Sebastian had convinced himself everything was going his way.

The radio was on loud in the garage, and it seemed every song was one he liked, singing along to himself like he didn't have a care in the world. The other workers had cast him a few weird looks, but Sebastian's strangely good mood was enough to get them all smiling, eventually, and with his head so uncharacteristically up in the clouds, he didn't even think twice when he heard the familiar echo of loud heels walking towards him. and found himself shocked to suddenly be face to face with Santana Lopez, staring him down the best she could from her shorter height.

"Stay away from Blaine."

Sebastian turned round to find himself face to face with Santana Lopez, staring him down the best she could from her shorter height. He looked at her for a long few seconds, the dumbstruck look on his face doing all it could to belittle her. "Okay, yeah. Sure," he agreed sarcastically, walking past her only to be stopped when she grabbed his arm.

"I'm serious," she snapped.

"And I assure you, I'm terrified," Sebastian sighed, looking her up and down. "Don't you have some lesbian hat convention you're late too?"

"I know you were out with Blaine the other day," Santana cut in, taking a step closer to Sebastian. "And if I'm not mistake, and I rarely am, you two were getting a little… more than friendly."

"It was innocent," Sebastian scoffed, raising an eyebrow as he twirled a spanner around his finger. "It was Blaine's birthday. It just seemed too depressing to let him stay in."

"I'm not an idiot. I can see you yearning after him like some bobby socked school girl."

"Are you stalking me now?"

"Cut the crap, Smythee. We both know you're not nearly good enough for Blaine."

Sebastian could only scoff at her again, even though the last words had stung him a little bit, shaking his head and going to walk away. This time, Santana grabbed his arm and yanked him back round to face her, the sneer in her eyes telling Sebastian she could already see she'd thrown him off, even a little bit. He raised his head, jutting his chin out and refusing to break his gaze. If there was anyone that could get the better of him, it was Santana – but he wouldn't let her.

"What makes you think you know me, hmm?" he asked, squaring up to her with fiery eyes. "What gives you the right to dictate who's good enough for Blaine?"

"Oh, I know you," Santana snarled. "And I know you're not what Blaine needs. You're bad news. Oh sure, he might like you now and you're probably convinced you're _perfect _for each other. But who's to say Sebby won't run along after the next pretty face?"

"It's not like that," Sebastian glared, his jaw clenched. Santana just smirked, belittling him with her gaze.

"Oh, but it's _exactly _like that," she purred, stepping uncomfortably close to Sebastian. "Because you are Sebastian Smythe, and you are a heart breaker. A home wrecker. You tear relationships apart and spit out any of the remains. I know you've sent couples to splitsville before, and you might _think _you're doing the right thing in your deranged little head, but you _will _break Blaine's heart. And it'll be about the worst thing you could do." Sebastian shook his head, smirking and averting his gaze around the shop like he could make this out to all be a big joke. "You're not good enough for him. You're a dirty scum slut who doesn't know the first thing about relationships, and once you're bored of fucking him, you'll move on. That's just who you are."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed, practically able to feel the temperature of his blood hotting up as he squared his shoulders and looked down on Santana.

"Not this time," he growled. "That is _not _who he is to me."

"Oh, because you really know, huh? You're the real expert on relationships and feelings. You really _know _the difference between lust and love. How to do a relationship. How to _commit._" Sebastian was silent for a moment, the slight panic in his eyes giving him away. Santana smirked, no longer feeling threatened under his gaze. "You don't know how to treat that boy. You'll run out on him, Smythe. I know you will."

"No," Sebastian tried to say, but his own voice betrayed him and the word came out in a thin whisper instead. Santana raised an eyebrow, and Sebastian did all he could to look down on her, his eyes ablaze with panic and desperation, and his jaw clenched, his hands shaking with the effort to keep his breathing under control. Santana just stood, still extremely close to him, watching his desperate composure with an annoying sense of superiority about her.

"Get out," he finally growled, not loud at all but venomous enough to throw Santana off even for a moment. She let her gaze settle into him just a moment longer, the tips of her lips curving into a sneer as she surveyed the boy on the verge of crumbling apart.

"_Get out!_" he repeated, this time yelling but leaving no shock on Santana. Instead, she just calmly stepped back, leaving him with the image of her smirking face in his mind as she made for the exit. When she was gone, Sebastian released the fists he didn't even realise he'd made, catching the eye of another worker before keeping his head down and leaving the garage. It was all he could do not to scream.

* * *

"The vulture has been exterminated. Mission: protect the unicorn and his afro puppy was officially a success."

"Just this once, can you please just tell me straight?"

Santana sighed, flicking her long hair over her shoulder while she continued to walk back to her car, walking as if every part of ground she stepped on was a part of her own personal cat walk.

"Boy, Dave, has anyone ever told you how much _fun _you are?" she droned, rolling her eyes underneath her large sunglasses. "I pulled the rug out from under Smythe. He's not snatching Blaine in his claws any time soon. Made him believe he wasn't good enough," she shrugged. "It was easier than I thought it would be."

Dave sighed, much more tired of the drama than Santana, who was absolutely revelling in it. "Sometimes I think we should just let it happen," he admitted, sensing the frown on Santana's face even over the phone. "It literally wouldn't harm anyone. Don't you think that would be easier?"

"No," Santana snapped, before hesitating and adding, "well, even if it did make it _easier, _it's still not right. Kurt's screwed up enough as it is; he needs to make things right on his own terms."

"…I think that's the first kind of decent thing I've heard you say in a while," Dave said, earning another eye roll.

"Decent by coincidence. This is the most exciting thing that's happened to me all summer."

"Well, anyway," Dave continued, choosing to ignore Santana's last comment, "If you hear anything else, just let me know, okay? And… maybe find something more fun to do before you get too involved."

"Which you're welcome for, by the way," Santana retorted sarcastically, shutting off the phone without waiting for so much as a goodbye. She reached her car at the end of the road, unlocking the door and finding her mind drifting to Blaine – in the swamp of information she had received from Kurt, and the rumours she'd heard about Sebastian, she realised, in a situation that revolved around Blaine so much, she didn't know the first thing about how he felt.

* * *

Blaine jolted awake, squinting in the dim light of the living room. He hadn't even been aware he'd fallen asleep, but his day had been spent reading and day dreaming – which had apparently transitioned into real dreaming, he realised, peeling his book out from between him and the couch and sitting up. He inhaled deep and stretched, quickly registering the time before his eyes fluttered closed again in his sleepy haze that he realised must've been disturbed by Sebastian's presence in the house. He smiled, immediately proceeding to look for the boy that had been on his mind all day and finding him in the kitchen. His head was propped up on his hand while he nursed a cup of coffee, the bags very clear under his softly closed eyes. Blaine bit his lip, walking in with the determination to help work off what he was sure was stress from work.

"Hey, you," he grinned, jumping up to sit on the kitchen counter. "How was work?"

Sebastian looked at him only briefly before averting his gaze forward, suddenly very interested in the patterns on the coffee mug. "It was work," he finally said, looking up at giving Blaine a fleeting smile. "What about you?"

"…My parents called, actually. Just to check in," Blaine begun, smiling but his hands were twined together with nervousness. "I'm moving back home tomorrow."

Sebastian frowned, but quickly replaced it with an almost composed expression if it wasn't for the way he was biting his lip. Blaine tilted his head, growing more and more aware something wasn't right about Sebastian.

"So," he continued, "I wondered if… I mean, because I'm going home, can I sleep in your room tonight?"

"Maybe you shouldn't," Sebastian said quietly, looking up at a dejected Blaine almost apologetically. "Great about you getting to go home, though."

"Did… Did I do something wrong?" Blaine asked, suddenly feeling very small even though the way he was sat made him considerably taller than Sebastian. Sebastian shook his head, frowning again but this time at himself.

"No," he muttered, still unable to hold Blaine's eye for very long without looking back at his coffee mug with intense interest. When Blaine's hand slipped into his, he felt his heart pang in his chest, hating how this kind of affection came so easily between them with no real explanation.

"Talk to me?" Blaine asked softly, everything about his tone and his expression imploring Sebastian to look at him. "You're still my best friend, Bastian."

Sebastian pressed his lips together, turning to Blaine with a look in his eye that told him he almost wished Blaine didn't mean so much to him. Blaine _was _his best friend – and so much more – but as he looked at him and absorbed the concern staring back at him, he just couldn't understand why they worked. Blaine was everything he didn't deserve. Sebastian was everything Blaine didn't need. It seemed like a recipe for nothing but pain.

His eyes dropped to their hands for a moment, experimentally squeezing Blaine's and feeling his heart drop when Blaine immediately squeezed back. As if the other boy was silently telling him, _you need me, I'm here. _It terrified him how quickly Blaine could rush to his aid, even at his own risk.

"Doesn't it scare you?" he muttered, before he could stop himself. He looked up into Blaine's eyes anxiously, met with confusion staring back at him as Blaine's eyebrows knitted together.

"Does what scare me, Bas?"

"This," he whispered looking down at their hands again. "Me. Doesn't it… worry you? What you're getting into with everything I've done?"

"Why would it?" Blaine asked, shrugging his shoulders like the whole idea was just silly. "After everything you've done _for me, _I don't really think I have anything to worry about."

Sebastian bit his lip, examining the absolute carelessness on his face and wondering how anyone as perfect as Blaine could possibly trust him so much. When he looked away again, Blaine caught the disagreement in his poise, and he understood immediately. He shuffled along the counter so he was sat right in front of Sebastian, his legs dangling on either side of him and his hand still holding Sebastian's firmly.

"Every relationship has risks. Not even romantic ones – _every _kind of relationship does. But that's the risk we take, if it's worth it. This is worth it, Bastian," he emphasised, squeezing his hand. "I'm happy. And I know you are, too."

Sebastian nodded, but there was a long moment of hesitation, like he couldn't wholly agree. "I can't stand the thought of hurting you, Blaine," he mumbled. "And the worst part is, I've _seen _you get so hurt, but you won't confront the thing that's hurt you. I'm… scared that'll happen with us. I could be hurting you and you wouldn't even _tell _me."

"I wouldn't tell _Kurt,_" he corrected him. "And that was only because talking to Kurt was like talking to a brick wall that could spit at you."

Despite the sincerity hanging in the air, Sebastian couldn't help the small tug at the corners of his lips, and Blaine smiled, slipping down into Sebastian's lap and slinging his arms around his shoulders.

"We make each other happy, right? And that's what matters."

"Right," Sebastian smiled, nodding and holding Blaine securely around the waist. "I guess I just wish I was better person. That's all."

Blaine raised his eyebrows, hesitating for a moment before a sly smile grew on his lips. "If you weren't a good person, you'd have kissed me by now."

"It's not like I haven't _wanted _to-"

"But you haven't," Blaine interrupted, fixing Sebastian under an all too reasonable. "And we both know that's what sets you apart from the person you're convinced you are."

Sebastian swallowed thickly, his eyes seeming to go darker as they bore into Blaine's for a long time. Slowly, his gaze dragged down to his lips and back up again, ideas filling his own mind that this was the only way he could protect Blaine; breaking the one boundary that was leading him to believe he was good. Blaine's expression faltered slightly, never having seen such a dark expression on Sebastian's face, and he dropped his arms to loosely wind around his middle. Why was Sebastian suddenly so bent on proving he wasn't a good person?

"Bas," Blaine whispered, doing all he could not to move when Sebastian leaned it slightly. He had to believe he wouldn't do it. "You'll only be doing it to prove a point. And it won't work," he told him. "I know who you really are to me."

"How do you know?" Sebastian asked, his tone considerably different to what it was seconds before. "How do you know I'm not just playing a big, sadistic game? Guys can be assholes, Blaine. And I am, too."

Blaine shook his head. "I don't know what's happened, or what's been said to you, but it's wrong. You make me so happy, Bas." Sebastian hated the way the crack in Blaine's voice went straight to his heart, hated more that Blaine caught the flicker of concern in his expression. He was sure this was what was best for Blaine, in that moment. But that didn't mean he could stop his own feelings. "I know this isn't a game, because you told me you'd try. That you'd fight. And because of the look on your face when you realised we could be together," Blaine told him, imploring him to listen. "That's how I know, Bastian."

"…Dammit," Sebastian whispered, his head dropping onto Blaine's shoulder. Blaine let out a huge sigh of relief, holding Sebastian tightly in gratitude and worry. He was sure for that whole part of time, he hadn't drawn a single breath. It was a while before Sebastian let himself hug him back, ashamed for what he even _tried _to do. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice coming out higher than expected. "I just thought… it was best…"

"It's okay," Blaine said in a hushed town, rubbing soothing circles against Sebastian's back. "Just remember what you are to _me, _not to everyone else."

"What if they're right?" Sebastian asked quietly. Blaine shook his head.

"They don't know you like I do," he told him, and Sebastian felt the tension lift off of him, realising that Blaine was right – he knew him better than anyone at this stage. Blaine was his best friend. His something more. Blaine _knew. _

"Thank you," Sebastian murmured softly, pulling away. "If you still wanna stay over tonight, I'm kinda really down for that."

Blaine giggled, smiling carelessly once again and leaving Sebastian lost for words. Eventually, though, he was smiling, too - almost embarrassed that Blaine had single handedly proved he had a heart that he kept so hidden, even _he _wasn't convinced it was there. He ducked his head, but Blaine just hooked a finger under his chin to force it back up again, smiling wider at the rare blush on Sebastian's cheeks.

"You're incredible," Sebastian murmured, struggling to hold Blaine's eye purely due to how far out of his comfort zone he was. Blaine's smile grew, sliding off his lap and taking Sebastian's hand in his.

"More than you know," he grinned. "I have something to show you."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows, but he got no further explanation. Blaine pulled him out of his seat and led him upstairs, smiling the whole way like someone who was watching a movie they'd already seen before and knew what was coming. He stopped outside Sebastian's room, letting go of his hand and looking up at him expectantly. Sebastian couldn't have been more confused.

"Go inside," Blaine said simply. Sebastian held his gaze a little longer, but when it gave nothing away, he did as he was told – and for the second time that day, Blaine had left him speechless.

What was once a room that was just a place to stay, filled with paper cups and clutter, was now a sanctuary – and, more to the point, it was _Sebastian's. _

The empty old coffee cups had all been cleared out, replaced with photo frames and simple pieces of décor Sebastian would never have thought to use. The books and magazines he'd previously used to fill up the space were now stacked neatly on a shelf, the carpet was clean and the bed was made – but what struck Sebastian the most was how much Blaine _knew _him. How he'd thought to hang a vintage looking poster of Paris up on the wall behind a chest of draws that now stationed a tidy arrangement of photos of Sebastian and Valerie, and a tacky replica Eiffel Tower that Sebastian couldn't help laugh at. How a map of the world now hung up to remind Sebastian he was free, and how the many photo frames contained pictures of him with friends and family to remind him he was loved. He didn't miss the little things that were just key to them, either, like the single cupcake case left on the window sill or the tiny figurine of Captain America. It suddenly occurred to him what Blaine had done, but before he could say anything, Blaine spoke for him.

"You said you never really had a home," he said softly, watching as Sebastian's eyes tore away to look into his. "I know you don't intend to stay here, and I know it can get stressful, but-"

"It's perfect," Sebastian breathed, shaking his head like Blaine couldn't say anything to lessen how amazing this was. "I really don't know what to say. Thank you."

"You don't have to say anything," Blaine smiled. "Just remember that you don't always necessarily find home in a _place_. And that paper cups are for drinking purposes only."

Sebastian chuckled breathlessly, stepping closer and brushing the curls out of Blaine's face. He couldn't bring himself to say it, but he knew exactly what Blaine was getting at, and he looked meaningfully into the hazel eyes for a moment longer before winding his arms around him and resting his head against Blaine's, allowing him to tread the line just enough to press a kiss against Blaine's temple. He was home.

* * *

Blaine was sure he'd be less nervous coming out to his parents all over again.

He was sat outside the Hummel household in his car, beginning to feel uncomfortable considering the amount of time he'd been there but he just couldn't work out how to make his next move. He knew Sebastian was around, smoking a cigarette in the tree house and waiting just as anxiously for Blaine to shoot the final blow – because Kurt was also around, back from his trip to DC. And that meant it was time for Blaine to cut the cord that was really bringing nothing good to either of them. It was just a matter of _how. _

For the fourth time in the space of sixteen minutes, he dialled Sebastian's number, getting an answer almost immediately as the other boy chuckled into his ear.

"You're still in your car, aren't you?"

"I feel like I'm on a stake out," Blaine moaned, looking towards the house. "Why is this so hard? I know it's what I want."

"Because Kurt's scary," Sebastian reasoned, but Blaine could hear the smirk in his voice. "I honestly don't blame you."

"He's gonna cut me into a million pieces…"

"Hey," Sebastian said softly, immediately bringing reason to Blaine's mind just by changing his tone. "Anything he says, he's saying out of fear of losing. And that makes sense I guess, but just remember you don't have to cave in to him. You're better than him, Blaine. Just remember that, okay? When he starts trying to play games with you, remember who the better one is."

Blaine closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying his best to believe in the words Sebastian was saying.

"Blaine," Sebastian murmured, and Blaine's heart dropped when he heard a tiny inkling of fear in Sebastian's voice. "Just remember what you're doing this for."

He drew in a deep breath, looking at the house once more and nodding, finally undoing the seat belt. "I'll see you soon, okay?" Blaine said, looking ahead of him where he knew the tree house was behind the house. Sebastian smirked, taking another drag of his cigarette to help calm his own nerves.

"Hold your head high, Killer," he told him, hanging up so Blaine was forced to be left with those words. Blaine bit his lip, putting the phone back in his pocket and ringing the doorbell to the house that suddenly gave off a much colder vibe.

It felt like years before the door finally opened. Blaine swallowed thickly as he met the cautious eyes of Kurt, who was clearly already aware that Blaine was here with a motive. He just smiled, though, almost like him standing there was a part of an inside joke.

"You finally decided to come in, then?" he quipped, looking from Blaine's car and back at him. Blaine giggled nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"I was just… on the phone," he explained, shrugging and smiling.

"Well, I'm glad you finally came," Kurt said, beginning to walk inside the house knowing Blaine would follow. "You've been so busy lately, I thought it would end up being another week before we saw each other!"

Blaine just laughed again, but felt the colour drain from his face. Every time Kurt had called, asking what he was up to or when he was going to come over, Blaine had made some excuse and claimed to be busy to cut their talking time short. He knew he couldn't put off what was inevitable, though, and after several pep talks from Sebastian and running out of excuses, he found himself ready after four days of Kurt being back in town.

"You okay?" Kurt asked, having led Blaine all the way to the kitchen to make himself a coffee. If there was anything he and Sebastian had in common, it was their addiction to hot caffeine. "You're quiet."

"Just… a lot on my mind," Blaine told him, biting his lip. "I actually have… uh… I mean, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Kurt hesitated, holding the kettle above his mug of coffee and just looking at Blaine before proceeding to pour the water in. "What's up, honey?"

Blaine tried not to grimace at the pet name. If Kurt had any idea what was going on, he would _know _that calling him something like 'honey' would start to make him second think.

"Kurt…" he began, hating how the blue gaze pierced through him as soon as he said he name. He could see the panic and fear in Kurt's eyes, and the worst part was, it was rightfully there. His own brow wrinkled, looking around the room for a moment before using every ounce of strength he had to look back into his eyes. He could've sworn he saw Kurt shake his head the tiniest bit. "I'm breaking up with you," he breathed.

There was a moment of vulnerability in Kurt's poise, shaking his head and bringing his hand to his mouth like there were sobs coming he needed to stop. It was like for a moment, he blamed himself – but he drew a deep, sharp breath and looked at Blaine as though his gaze was a bullet.

"Why?" he asked, his voice suddenly thicker. Blaine wished he could do something to stop the pangs in his chest.

"You can't deny things have been changing between us," he said softly, taking a step closer despite his gut feeling to run away. "And I've spoken to you about that before, but… that's not the only thing." He drew a deep breath. "There's someone else."

Kurt's eyes narrowed, and it was all Blaine could do to keep his feet firmly on the ground. "It's Sebastian, isn't it?"

Blaine nodded, and Kurt rolled his eyes. The tension in his body was suddenly replaced with something more like annoyance, and Blaine was sure he could never have prepared for such an odd reaction.

"_Sebastian?_" Kurt repeated. "I mean, wow. I knew he had his eyes set on you but I thought you had a little more self-respect than that."

"He's not the guy you think he is. Not the guy you and _everyone else _thinks he is."

Kurt pressed his lips tight together, sick of hearing those words. "In all honesty? I was gonna break up with you before I started college, anyway," he admitted. "And I'd be _happy _for you, if it wasn't _him._"

Blaine frowned, badly wanting to question why Kurt was planning that all along but knew right then, it was very much a moot point. "He makes me happy," he argued. "You don't know what he's _done _for me, Kurt, and he's doing all he can to be a better person."

"He's _not _a good person, Blaine!" Kurt said exasperatedly, walking to the other side of Blaine in frustration. "Do you know the amount of people he's played? The amount of couples he's split up? And he does it for fun, Blaine," Kurt told him. "And he'll do it to you."

"He won't," Blaine shrugged. "If he was planning on doing something like that to me, he would've done it by now."

"Oh, but he _has,_" Kurt spat, taking a step closer. "Case in point. We are no longer a couple."

Blaine hesitated, as if waiting for Kurt to elaborate – but when he realise he wasn't going to, he said, "Because of me."

"Because of _him_," Kurt snapped, rolling his eyes again and crossing his arms. "How can you really be doing this? I thought you were smarter than to get sucked into his games like this."

"It's not a game, Kurt! I like him, he likes me. We've both known that for a while. If Sebastian wanted to try anything, he could have, and he _would _have, but it's not like how you think it is. In fact, I tried to kiss _him,_" Blaine said, remembering his birthday. "And you know what? He pushed me away. He said, 'I'm not gonna make a cheater out of you'. And he constantly tells me he doesn't wanna fuck this up. And he's doing a great job."

Kurt's eyes narrowed again, a large exhale resounding from him while his arms were still folded tight across his chest. After a long moment, his shoulders slumped, and he mumbled something under his breath before turning away.

"What was that?" Blaine asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know, but it was obvious in his body language that Kurt had found the incentive to be sad about what had happened, now.

"He takes everything from me," Kurt repeated, turning slightly but not to face him. Blaine tilted his head, his jaw clenching against his will.

"If this is about your mom…"

"Just go, Blaine!" Kurt snapped, finally turning to face him with tears in his eyes. "But when he breaks your heart, don't say I didn't warn you."

Blaine swallowed against any words he wanted to say to fight against him, taking a few steps back as he watched Kurt run his hands over his face before properly walking out the house. As he left, he felt like a weight had lifted off his chest – but Kurt's words weren't completely gone from his mind.

As he walked back towards the car, he caught sight of Sebastian's silhouette leaning against it. The boy seemed a little tense, a cigarette between his lips and his shoulders ever so slightly hunched as he focused on the sky. Blaine smiled before he could stop himself, wondering if it was too soon for what he was about to do, but before he knew it, he was making a confident bee line towards Sebastian, his tummy alive with butterflies and his head giddy with nerves. Sebastian turned just at the right time to smile at him, the sun hitting him like a cliché metaphor which only made Blaine smile harder. Between two fingers, he stole the cigarette from Sebastian's mouth, watching the green eyes flicker frantically between his own before flinging his arms around Sebastian's neck, and finally, _finally, _crashing his lips against Sebastian's in a passionate, too-long awaited kiss.

The two of them could've easily been the only people in the world that moment. Sebastian had kissed people before, sure; but as warmth filled him up from head to toe, and his heart beat with more than just the anticipation of kissing someone, he quickly learned this was something new. This kiss really _meant _something. And it wasn't only their beginning, but the beginning of the whole world having to face that Sebastian Smythe was more than a flaky slut. He found himself unable to keep himself smiling into the kiss.

Sebastian's arms curled tight around Blaine, glad his body could run on auto-pilot because his brain had completely short circuited. Blaine's lips were soft against his own, and he knew his own lips probably lingered with the taste of tobacco but as Blaine's tongue flicked out to tease against his own, he realised he didn't care. He was filled with pure ecstasy, his heart beating fast and hard while Blaine's did the same, and when the two of them pulled apart, they were both breathless. For a moment, all they could do was look at each other.

"I'm gonna need that back," Sebastian murmured, looking from the cigarette to Blaine again. Blaine just giggled, complying as he handed him he cigarette, taking his free hand into his own. He bit his lip, watching Sebastian take a particularly large drag and grinning wider when the other boy's smile met his own.

"So, I broke up with my boyfriend," he said, leaning his head against Sebastian's shoulder.

"You don't say," Sebastian quipped, dropping the cigarette to the ground and taking Blaine's other hand, standing in front of him now Blaine was leaning against the car. "Then I guess now is a great time to tell you I've had my eye on you for quite a while."

"You don't say," Blaine teased, admiring the unbelievably bright grin on Sebastian's face. "What're you gonna do about it, then, Smythe?"

Sebastian smirked, pressing closer to him and waiting as a car went past before opening his mouth to speak again. "I'm gonna prove them wrong," he said quietly, still smiling but his forehead was almost touching Blaine's and his voice was low, like he was confessing something. "I'm gonna learn how to be like this, and I'm gonna make you happy. Providing… you'll let me," he mumbled, biting his lip. Blaine's heart fluttered at how vulnerable Sebastian was.

"Let you what?" Blaine asked, even though he knew what he was saying, really – he just wanted Sebastian to hear himself say it.

"Let me… be…" Sebastian drew a deep breath, and Blaine had to squeeze his hands to remind him he wasn't going to leave him hanging. "Your boyfriend."

Blaine grinned, pulling him closer so he could kiss him once again and look closer into the taller boy's anticipation filled eyes. "My boyfriend," Blaine repeated, and Sebastian laughed, the relief practically flying off his shoulders as he enveloped Blaine in a tight hug. When they pulled apart, Blaine didn't miss the way Sebastian seemed suddenly at a loss on what to do, thrown off by the concept of _boyfriend. _

"Are you nervous?" Blaine asked. Sebastian tried to smile like that was a completely ridiculous idea, but it faltered almost as soon as it came, his gaze shifting from Blaine to the floor.

"I've never done this before," he reminded him, licking his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Boyfriend's go on dates, right? Should we go do that?"

"Calm down," Blaine laughed, hooking a finger under Sebastian's chin when he looked away and blushed. "Not that I'm against that idea, but just because we've put a label on us now doesn't mean we have to change. It kinda just means we have… less boundries, I guess," he shrugged, squeezing Sebastian's hand again. "Just be you, okay?"

"…Okay," Sebastian nodded, having to laugh again when Blaine fixed him under a fond gaze. "I'll get there. I promise."

"I know," Blaine smiled. "I always knew."

Sebastian smiled again, and with one more kiss, he left Blaine to drive home, not wanting to crowd him too much after having broken up with Kurt. When he closed the door to the house behind him, he immediately leaned against it and sighed, closing his eyes and just letting the warmth spread across his chest along with the smile tugging at his lips. It was hard to believe it really happened, but with the tingling still on his lips, and the way his heart was trying to leap out of his chest, he knew it was true. It was _finally _true. He was Blaine's, and Blaine was his. And what was more was that _he _was the one to ask Blaine out, the one to overcome all the things everyone said about him. With a chuckle he barely contained by biting his lip, he made his way upstairs and towards his room, his mind reeling around what had just happened to the point he couldn't care less that someone might have seen him in his giddy state. Things were finally going right.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: So things get a little ~steamy~ in this chapter but I think it's pretty obvious when it happens so there I have given you a warning Enjoy!**

**Chapter 21  
**

Kurt was pacing. It was the third time now he'd had to listen to the soft ringing of his phone in his ear as the person on the other end still failed to pick up, only causing his blood to rise in temperature every time he was put through to voicemail. He was sure the contained frustration was starting to make him go dizzy, tied in with how his pacing got faster and faster until finally, he had to sit on the bed to stop the possibility of passing out. When the other person finally picked up, it was all Kurt could do not to fall back with relief.

"Did you not get the hint the first two times?" an angry voice snapped, but it went completely ignored by Kurt.

"You know I wouldn't call you if it wasn't urgent, Hunter," Kurt replied, sounding almost too reasonable. "You owe me a favour. And I've called to collect."

"I owe you nothing, Hummel."

"Oh, really?" Kurt jeered. "So that time I took the bullet for you when your family almost found out about your sexuality, that doesn't mean anything, now?"

Hunter's nostrils flared. His encounters with Kurt were very few, having only met because Hunter's dad had been in the same battalion as Finn's father, tying Hunter's family and Finn's family together. One time, Kurt and Burt were invited to have dinner with all of them round Hunter's house so she could introduce them, but it was made obvious to Kurt very quickly that he had to keep his sexuality to himself with these people. However, he learned a little later on that he wasn't the only one having to keep secrets, when Hunter's dad allowed himself to peer at Hunter's phone as the screen lit up with a new message – and turned to face his son with a look Kurt had seen directed at him so many times.

"Who is this?" his dad growled, causing the whole table to fall silent. Hunter had paled, doing all he could to hold his dad's ferocious gaze.

"Dad-"

"You told me you had a _girl_friend. Think you might have missed an important detail there, Hunter?"

"It's just a-"

"You have five seconds to reassure me you're not seeing a _guy_, or I'm kicking you out."

Kurt's eyes widened – he'd gotten a very _tough guy act _vibe from the older man, but couldn't quite believe that he was willing to condemn his own son like that in front of a crowd of people.

"5…"

"Dad, would you just give me a chance to-"

"4…"

"Dad, listen to me! You _never _liste-"

"3…"

"That's my phone."

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on Kurt, who was pushing his actual phone further across the table. He was glad he'd chosen such a trendy model of phone at the time – even more glad he hadn't yet changed his wallpaper from the generic phone background that was already there. He met Hunter's gaze, biting his lip and continuing to push the phone towards him. Finally, he looked at Hunter's dad, and knew if it hadn't been for the disgust he'd seen in so many other people's eyes he'd have visibly winced.

"This is your phone?" he asked in a toxic tone. Kurt jutted his chin out, head held high.

"I admit they're very similar. Can you blame me for picking up the wrong one?" There was a tense moment of silence, before he added, "I'm sorry for the mix up."

With that, he took Hunter's phone and resumed his dinner, not hearing any more of it until Hunter returned his phone later on, with a grateful, albeit rushed, "_I owe you one._"

The event itself had been about a year ago, and Kurt had neglected to remember it – until it became helpful to him.

"I could easily phone your parents and confess the truth, you know. I'm not one for outing people, especially if they're not ready – but that doesn't change that you owe me. I can make an exception."

There was a loud sigh over the phone, and Kurt smirked, knowing he'd already won.

"What do you want?"

"Do you know a guy called Sebastian Smythe?"

There was a long pause, Hunter biting back a knowing chuckle before simply replying, "You could say I know him."

"I want you to seduce him."

"…Seduce him," Hunter repeated, his tone so mocking it almost had Kurt take back the request.

"That's what I said," he mumbled. "Though I understand if he's not your type."

"It's not that. It's more… I don't like how 1970's cheesy crime show this sounds."

"Just do it," Kurt snapped, rolling his eyes. Hunter raised his eyebrows.

"Tell me why."

"_Just do it,_" Kurt repeated. "And keep me updated. Okay?"

"Alright," Hunter sighed, shrugging and hanging up before Kurt had the chance to say anything else. Truthfully, it didn't bother him; Hunter wasn't exactly someone he could be close to.

But with Sebastian's inevitable slip up now in plain view, another friendship was the last thing on his mind.

* * *

Blaine found himself hypnotised by Sebastian's smile for what could have been the 70th time that week.

Of course, he'd seen him smile plenty of times before, but this was something different. This was a Lucy walking into the wardrobe and finding a whole new world on the other side kind of smiling. There was a new glint in his eyes, and even when Sebastian caught him staring and raised his eyebrows, he was sure he knew it, too.

"So, what do you think?" Blaine asked. It had been 5 days since the term "boyfriends" had been made applicable to them, but this was the first time Sebastian was seeing Blaine's house – and his bedroom. He laughed, looking around and taking in the various sports figures, the typical college posters hanging from the walls and the typical neatness of it all. Deep down, Sebastian couldn't help wonder if this was pure Blaine, or if this was one way of trying to impress his parents – but he loved it, nonetheless.

"I think your room belongs to a teenager from the 1950's," Sebastian quipped, stepping forwards to circle his arms around Blaine. Blaine raised his eyebrows, fixing him with a mischievous gaze and resting his arms over Sebastian's shoulders.

"You know, if we were in the 50's, we couldn't be together," he mumbled, looking up through his lashes. Sebastian smirked, lowering his hands so they rested on Blaine's hips, pulling him even closer.

"Only if we were caught," he grinned, and Blaine chuckled just before Sebastian caught his lips in a kiss, lingering to brush his lips against Blaine's just for a moment before pulling away again. Blaine smiled, but bit his lip – he couldn't help notice something again that had been bothering him more and more since they became officially.

"Hey," he said softly, crossing his arms behind Sebastian's neck. "You know you don't have to hold back, right?"

Sebastian just looked at him for a moment, a quick, breathy laugh escaping him despite the blush crawling up his neck. "What makes you say that?" he asked, fiddling with the collar on Blaine's shirt. Blaine had to slip his hand into Sebastian's to stop him distracting himself, smiling up at him apologetically.

"I can just _tell. _When you kiss me, I can tell that you're _thinking_… and I can tell you're being a lot more careful."

"I'm not being too-"

"You've barely kissed me longer than a few seconds," Blaine pointed out, eyebrows raised. "Which means you're either a _horrible _tease… or you're playing safe, because in your head you think there's a very solid line between what you used to do, and what you're doing, now."

Sebastian shrugged, looking down. There was a long pause between them before he spoke again, to the point Sebastian expected Blaine to just shrug and give up – but of course, he didn't. "Sorry," he mumbled, feeling incredibly exposed after Blaine managed to psycho-analyse him so easily. "I guess it just… feels wrong."

"Wrong?" Blaine asked, a little taken aback. Sebastian's eyes widened, paling as he realised what he'd said.

"No, no, not like being with you is wrong," he babbled, shaking his head somewhat frantically. "I just mean, as soon as I start to think of you like that, it feels like I'm dragging you into how I was before I met you. I wanna kiss you, but… when I do, I suddenly start feeling… like I'm just… _using _you or somethi-"

"Bastian," Blaine said, and the boy in question immediately shut his mouth. Blaine smiled a little wider, squeezing Sebastian's hand like a reminder of who they were before both his arms rested over Sebastian's shoulders again, pulling him in a little closer. "Kiss me," he whispered, tilting his head. His eyes lingered on Sebastian's lips, and Sebastian couldn't help the small hitch in his breath as he wondered for the millionth time how he managed to get someone as beautiful and as perfect as Blaine. He swallowed thickly, leaning his forehead against Blaine's and wishing he didn't feel so pathetic. "Trust me."

At those words, Sebastian felt a warmth across his chest, nodding his head and brushing his lips against Blaine's, his breath coming out shaky. After a beat, he leant forward, his heart beating fast like he could be kissing him for the first time – but his mind didn't fail to bring about the same anxieties he couldn't let go of. His lips were cautious against Blaine's, thoughts filling his mind of how this used to just be part of some game; just part of a recipe to bringing someone home. Part of another meaningless night. He pulled away, a guilt ridden expression on his face – but he was met by fondness in Blaine's eyes, and he only pulled him closer again, refusing to let him go. "Don't think," Blaine murmured, pressing his lips against Sebastian's again. "Just trust me."

With those words in mind, Sebastian felt a surge of perseverance, because the one thing he knew for sure was that he did trust Blaine. He more than trusted him. And he wanted him to know that. He could almost sense his conviction to Blaine overruling the paranoia, replacing every thought with reminders to himself that this was Blaine; his _boyfriend. _There was nothing that ever meant more to him.

He could feel Blaine smiling against his lips when the kiss lasted longer than usual, kissing him a little harder now that he knew he could. Sebastian was barely aware of the soft moan pulled from his own lips, feeling Blaine's tongue teasing against his own and pushing out any remaining careful thoughts Sebastian may have had. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss and allowing himself to push up Blaine's shirt, grazing his fingertips over the naturally olive skin and feeling his heart skip a beat when Blaine gasped into his mouth. It occurred to him that every reaction he got, he could use to really _learn _Blaine. And not like the one night stands in clubs where he'd pick up along the way what got a guy's heart beating faster – he could get the reactions over and over again; play with them. Make Blaine find out something even he didn't know about himself.

His lips curved into a grin, breaking the kiss to move on to Blaine's neck, testing his reaction to try and work out where he was most sensitive. Blaine's hands were balled up in Sebastian's shirt, his head dropping to one side and his eyes fluttering shut. There was no doubt Sebastian had already caught on to how sensitive he was, fingers still trailing along his sides and eliciting goose bumps across his skin while he dithered between kissing and just trailing his lips across Blaine's neck. Blaine's fists tightened when Sebastian began to pay extra attention to one specific part, kissing and sucking and licking to the point there was no way it wasn't going to leave a mark. He shivered, an involuntary moan escaping him as he pulled Sebastian closer, his breathing growing heavier and his hands gliding down to grab Sebastian's hips. Sebastian growled, his teeth lightly grazing over the already bruised skin before soothing over it with his tongue, drawing another, louder moan from Blaine. He could practically feel him smirking against his neck.

"Bastian," Blaine whined, getting his attention and kissing him hard as soon as he lifted his head. With his arms already tight around his back, Blaine took a couple of steps back until he was falling onto the bed, pulling Sebastian on top of him. He caught the hesitance in his eyes, but he just smiled, holding his eye as he shuffled back on the bed and grinning as soon as Sebastian followed. When they settled, Sebastian purposefully lingered over Blaine, taking his time to gently brush the tips of his fingers against his skin again and leaning his forehead against his, smirking as the other boy stared up at him in anticipation. Blaine gasped when Sebastian brushed over his hipbones, causing him to chuckle with an air of superiority.

"You're so sensitive," he whispered, proven by how even his breath on Blaine's lips was enough to make his heart beat harder.

"You picked up on that, huh?" Blaine quipped, and Sebastian smirked again, tugging at the edge of Blaine's shirt as if to silently ask, and Blaine complied, sitting up so Sebastian could slide his shirt off. Once Sebastian had done the same for his own, he finally kissed him again, Blaine frantically searching for ways to work up Sebastian – but on quickly learning he was nowhere near as sensitive as he was, he figured it wouldn't be as easy for him.

Sebastian broke the kiss again to focus on Blaine's chest, mapping out his torso with his mouth and tongue and making Blaine's head spin, gasping loudly when Sebastian's lips grazed over his nipple. He ran his hands through Sebastian's hair, marvelling at the softness before tightening his grip as Sebastian lips latched on to his hipbones, tracing the line with his mouth and taking his time to kiss and suck at the ridiculously sensitive skin. Blaine arched his back, eyes fixed on Sebastian as he worked his mouth across Blaine's hip bones, his own hands slowly stroking the inside Blaine's thighs. Blaine was sure if he wasn't already lying down, his legs would've buckled underneath him.

"Bastian," he gasped, curling his toes against the mattress as Sebastian's hands came critically close to his crotch, squeezing his thigh when Blaine's hands tightened in his hair again. Blaine bit his lip, experimentally tugging Sebastian's hair once more and finally hearing a small moan, muffled against his own skin. He grinned, running his hand through his hair slower but harder this time, and Sebastian's eyes closed, his head going limp as he let Blaine take him over just for a second.

"Got you," Blaine smirked, as Sebastian slowly opened his eyes to look directly into Blaine's, a smile of his own curling onto his lips. Before he knew it, Blaine was being straddled, his wrists pinned over his head and Sebastian's lips bare millimetres away from his own. He stared up at Sebastian, chest rising and falling heavily as he looked at him with anticipation.

"I think you'll find it's the other way around," Sebastian purred, letting go of his wrists to lightly caress down his arms with the tips of his fingers, his eyes challenging Blaine – but with a whine of frustration, Blaine crashed his lips against Sebastian's, not lasting long in the 'challenge' at all. Sebastian laughed lowly into the kiss, but his cockiness evaporated the second Blaine wound his hands back in his hair, his laughter replaced with a breathy moan. He kissed him deeper, moving so his legs were in between Blaine's and grinding his hips down, the both of them gasping when he brushed against Blaine who was just as hard as he was. Blaine whimpered, his hold in Sebastian's hair tightening and his legs spreading wider before hooking around Sebastian's hips, pushing his own hips up to meet Sebastian's. He felt like he needed to be close to him in every way, needed to feel more skin against his, and he was sure with the way Sebastian's hips ground down with his own that he felt the same. This in itself was simple for Sebastian – but he couldn't get enough of the way Blaine reacted to every small touch like his body was a livewire, how he moaned softly into the kiss and tangled his hands in Sebastian's hair partly because he needed something to hold on to, needed _him_. He was sure he could do this all day with him.

Until the sound of the front door opening reached his ears.

Sebastian's head snapped up, eyes like saucers as he strained his ears just to check he'd heard right. Blaine could only look up at him, desperately confused.

"Did I like, bite you or somethi-"

"Blaine?" a female voice called, coming from the bottom of the stairs. Finally, Blaine was on the same track, sitting up and running to the mirror while Sebastian rescued their shirts from the floor. Blaine shoved shirt his over his head before quickly trying to regel his hair, his style for the day not as slicked back as it could be but he'd still opted to wear gel, none the less. Sebastian on the other hand was fully aware his hair was a mess – but he was far too fond of it to do anything about it.

"Blaine," the voice said again, this time coming from just outside the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yes, mommy," Blaine replied, and Sebastian smirked, sure Blaine only went for _mommy _because he had obviously been doing very less than innocent things seconds ago. Realising he was still quite obviously hard in his jeans, Blaine panicked, throwing upon the closet door and yanking out a hoodie to tie around his waist just as the door opened. Sebastian smiled up at the bumbling dark haired woman, quite content as he sat on the edge of the bed with his legs crossed.

"Oh! And this must be Sebastian, yes?" Blaine's mom said, looking at him expectedly.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs Anderson," Sebastian smiled, nodding at her. She smiled back with a lot of warmth that Sebastian could see was very similar to Blaine's.

"Call me Charlotte," she told him, nodding and smiling before turning to Blaine. "And how are you, dear? You look a little- _what's that on your neck?!_"

Sebastian had to bit his lip to stop himself laughing, looking at the obvious hickey sitting proudly on the right side of Blaine's neck. Blaine glance over at him a second, and Sebastian only bit his lip harder, knowing he was going to get some kind of comeback for this.

"Sports injury," he muttered, with a half-smile at his mom. His mom just cooed at him, tilting her head sympathetically and pulling him into a hug. Blaine very carefully hugged her back, glaring at Sebastian over her shoulder and shaking his head.

"You need to take better care of yourself, mister," Charlotte said, shaking her head at the hickey before looking over at Sebastian. "Men and their sports, hmm?"

"Oh, I know," Sebastian agreed, nodding his head. "I guess it feels good in the moment but then you see them after and they look a total wreck."

"Ohh, I know," Charlotte pouted, completely oblivious to Sebastian's double meaning. "I just hope whoever did it to him got what they deserve."

"Well, if they didn't, I'm sure they will," Sebastian grinned, and Blaine glared again, his cheeks burning up but his expression changing straight back to sweet little golden boy when his mom turned to face him again. Sebastian bit back another laugh.

"Well, you two have fun, okay? I have to go and make dinner, but you might want to say hello to your father soon. Maybe he'll know how to deal with that bruise, hmm?"

"I wouldn't wanna worry him," Blaine protested, shaking his head. "It's just a bruise, mommy. I'll probably just hide it for now."

"Do what you want, sweetie," she smiled, squeezing his shoulders before walking back towards the door and turning her attention to Sebastian. "I'll see again at dinner, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Charlotte," she reminded him, grinning at them both once more before leaving. Blaine sighed heavily, taking the hoodie off and leaning his head back against the closet door. He knew Sebastian was smirking at him without looking.

"That was _so _embarrassing," Blaine moaned, turning to look at the hickey in the mirror and shocked out how extensive it really was. "What did you _do?!_"

"Hey, don't go regretting it now," Sebastian teased, wandering over to Blaine and hugging him from behind, meeting his eyes in the mirror. "You loved it at the time."

Despite wanting to come off mad, Blaine couldn't help smile, turning to look up at him through his lashes.

"You're forgiven," he quipped, with a glint in his eye. "But I _will _have to get you back."

"Oh, I look forward to it," Sebastian grinned, leaning forward to kiss him and smiling at how Blaine had, once again, cured his demons. The anxious thoughts were gone. Blaine smiled up at him, like he knew.

"It's a shame we were interrupted, though," Blaine murmured, winding his arms around Sebastian's waist. Sebastian giggled, biting his lip and nodding.

"You know, I could always stay over tonight?" he suggested. "We'd have to be quiet, though. Wouldn't want another _sports injury _incident."

"Come on," Blaine giggled, shaking his head and pressing one more kiss to Sebastian's lips before taking his hand to lead him out his room, grabbing a light scarf off the hook so he could hide the hickey. "I gotta introduce you to my dad. And this one you _can't _charm your way around."

"Never stopped me from trying before," Sebastian teased, earning another playful glare from Blaine before they walked out the door. He laughed again, but a little quieter now, feeling legitimately nervous about meeting Blaine's dad – but Blaine squeezed his hand (he knew – _of course _he knew) and Sebastian breathed easy.

It wasn't until he looked at his phone later that day that the nervousness started picking at him again.

* * *

**1 New Message – Hunter Clarington**

_So I'm hoping to see you in Scandals soon, Smythe. The usual crowd's got a bit rusty. Think we need to remind them how it's really done, if you know what I mean. ;) x_


End file.
